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John  F.  Goucher 

Number...-. 


ilotont  Mxz&wm  in  the  3ffar  East 

THE  LIBRARY:  OF  THE 
DEC  22  1927 
ONivfcHSily  oi  iumws 

A REPORT 

PREPARED  BY 

WILLIAM  ADAMS  BROWN,  PH.  D.,  D.  D. 

UNION  SEMINARY  LECTURER  ON  RELIGION 
IN  THE  FAR  EAST 

FOR  THE 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 
OF  THE 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 
JANUARY,  1917 

THE  LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

MIYERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


dtahtt  F.  Gkmcher 
Number. 


lUn&rnt  fHtaatmta  itt  the  3ftar  lEast 

THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 
DEC  2 2 1927 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 

A REPORT 

PREPARED  BY 

WILLIAM  ADAMS  BROWN,  PH.  D.,  D.  D. 

UNION  SEMINARY  LECTURER  ON  RELIGION 
IN  THE  FAR  EAST 

FOR  THE 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 
OF  THE 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 
JANUARY,  1917 


PREFACE 

On  May  18,  1915,  the  Board  of  Directors,  following  the 
precedent  already  created  in  the  case  of  Dr.  George  William 
Knox,  appointed  me  Union  Seminary  Lecturer  on  Religion  in 
the  Far  East,  and  granted  me  six  months’  leave  of  absence  from 
Seminary  duties.  Pursuant  to  this  action  I left  this  country  on 
the  26th  of  January,  1916,  and  spent  the  following  four  months 
and  a half  in  a trip  to  the  Far  East,  in  the  course  of  which  I 
visited  a number  of  mission  stations,  conferred  with  many  Union 
Seminary  alumni  on  the  foreign  field,  and  delivered  numerous 
lectures,  sermons  and  addresses.  I beg  herewith  to  submit 
to  the  Board  the  following  report  of  impressions  received  during 
the  course  of  this  experience,  so  far  as  they  bear  upon  the  work 
of  the  Seminary  as  a school  for  training  men  for  Christian 
service  at  home  and  abroad. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/modernmissionsin00brow_0 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


I.  Outline  of  Work  Done  as  Union  Seminary  Lecturer. 

II.  General  Impressions  as  to  the  Present  Situation  on 
the  Mission  Field. 

1.  Magnitude  of  the  enterprise. 

2.  Extent  of  the  success  already  attained  . 

3.  Greatness  of  the  work  still  to  be  done. 

4.  The  opportunity  for  further  advance. 

5.  The  unity  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 

6.  The  wisdom  of  the  present  leadership. 

III.  Special  Problems  and  Needs. 

1.  The  Problem  of  Administrative  Efficiency. 

(1)  The  relation  between  the  home  base  and  the  field. 

(2)  The  organization  of  the  forces  on  the  field. 

(3)  The  problem  of  the  best  use  of  the  individual. 

2.  The  Question  of  Educational  Policy. 

(1)  Different  theories  of  the  function  of  education 

in  missions. 

(2)  Institutions  under  direct  missionary  control. 

(3)  Methods  of  cooperation  with  non-Christian  in- 

stitutions. 

(4)  The  education  of  women. 

3.  The  Question  of  the  Native  Church. 

(1)  The  relation  of  the  missionary  to  the  native 

church. 

(2)  The  church  in  Japan. 

(3)  The  situation  in  Korea  and  in  China. 

(4)  Conditions  in  Latin  America. 


4.  The  Attitude  of  the  Christian  to  the  Non-Christian 
Environment. 

(1)  The  attitude  of  the  Christian  to  the  non-Christian 

religions. 

(2)  The  responsibility  of  the  church  for  social  and 

economic  reform. 

(3)  The  attitude  of  the  missionary  body  to  the  gov- 

ernment under  which  it  works. 

IV.  Consequences  for  Missionary  Education. 

1.  The  recruiting  and  training  of  missionaries. 

2.  The  training  of  the  native  ministry. 

3.  The  need  of  a Christian  literature  in  the  vernacular. 

4.  The  education  of  the  church  at  home. 

V.  What  the  Seminary  Can  Do. 

1.  The  responsibility  of  the  Seminary  for  missionary 

education. 

2.  Bearing  upon  the  present  plan  for  a department  of 

missions. 


fUnfcrot  4®t00ums  in  thf  Jffar  tEaat 


I 


OUTLINE  OF  WORK  DONE  AS  SEMINARY  LECTURER 

I left  New  York  City  with  Mrs.  Brown  on  January  26,  1916, 
on  the  steamship  Almirante  for  Panama,  where  I attended  the 
Missionary  Congress  on  Christian  Work  in  Latin  American 
countries,  as  a delegate  from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.  Here  I had  the  opportunity  of 
meeting  several  hundred  representatives  of  the  different  agencies 
at  work  in  Latin  America,  both  native  and  foreign,  and  of 
learning  much  concerning  the  condition,  needs  and  opportuni- 
ties of  this  most  important  field.  From  Panama  I went  to  San 
Francisco,  where  I sailed  for  Yokohama  on  the  Chiyo  Maru  on 
March  2,  1916,  taking  with  me  my  son,  William  Adams  Brown, 
Jr.,  as  my  secretary.  We  reached  Yokohama  on  March  18th 
and,  after  two  days  spent  in  conference  with  those  responsible 
for  the  planning  of  our  J apanese  trip,  went  on  at  once  to  China, 
reaching  Shanghai  on  Friday,  March  24.  In  Shanghai  we 
remained  five  days,  which  were  filled  with  conferences,  addresses 
and  interviews.  We  left  Shanghai  on  the  evening  of  March  27, 
visiting  successively  Hangchow,  Soochow,  Nanking,  Hwaiyuan, 
Chufu,  Taianfu  and  Tsinanfu,  and  reached  Peking  on  the 
evening  of  April  6.  Here  we  remained  six  days,  during  which 
we  made  side  trips  to  Tungchow  and  Nankow.  On  April  12 
we  left  Peking  for  Korea,  stopping  at  Tientsin  and  Moukden 
on  the  way.  Saturday  and  Sunday,  April  15  and  16,  were 
spent  at  Pyeng  Yang;  and  Monday,  the  17th,  at  Seoul.  From 
Korea  we  crossed  over  to  Japan,  landing  at  Shimonoseki  on 
the  18th,  and  after  a night  spent  en  route  at  Miyajima,  reached 
Kyoto  on  the  19th,  where  we  spent  five  days  and  where  I 
delivered  a course  of  lectures  under  the  auspices  of  the  Doshisha, 
as  well  as  other  sermons  and  addresses.  From  Kyoto  we  went 
to  Kobe,  stopping  over  a day  at  Osaka  en  route  where  I de- 
livered three  lectures.  At  Kobe  I delivered  a number  of 
lectures  and  addresses  under  the  auspices  of  the  Kwansei 
Gakuin,  the  leading  Methodist  College  in  Japan.  From  Kobe 
we  went  to  Tokyo,  stopping  at  Wakayama  and  Nara  and 
Nagoya  on  the  way.  We  were  in  Tokyo  from  May  3 to  May  13, 


9 


10 


the  time  being  filled  to  overflowing  with  lectures,  interviews 
and  conferences  of  every  sort.  A brief  trip  to  the  north,  where 
I spent  three  days  at  Sendai,  lecturing  under  the  auspices  of 
the  German  Reformed  College,  completed  my  work  as  lecturer. 
The  last  week  was  given  to  sight-seeing  at  Nikko,  Kamakura 
and  a three  days’  trip  around  Fuji.  We  sailed  from  Yokohama 
on  May  25  by  the  Empress  of  Russia  and  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco on  June  4. 

During  my  trip  I lectured  thirteen  times,  preached  twenty-one 
times,  delivered  forty  addresses,  and  conducted  fourteen  con- 
ferences, besides  having  many  interviews  with  individuals  both 
of  the  missionary  body,  of  our  own  alumni,  and  of  the  native 
church.  While  I was  in  the  Far  East  I spoke  on  the  average 
about  twice  a day,  except  when  on  the  train  or  boat,  and  in 
spite  of  the  strenuous  character  of  the  trip  both  my  son  and  I 
enjoyed  the  best  of  health  during  the  entire  time. 

My  programme  in  Japan  was  arranged  for  by  a committee  of 
the  China  Continuation  Committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  Dearing 
and  President  Ibuka ; in  China  by  Mr.  Lobenstine,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Continuation  Committee  in  that  country.  In  Japan  I 
delivered  at  Kyoto,  Kobe  and  Tokyo  a course  of  lectures  on  the 
subject,  “ Is  Christianity  Practicable?  ” These  lectures  were 
delivered  in  response  to  an  invitation  from  the  Continuation 
Committee  and  the  Federation  of  Japanese  Churches,  and  are 
to  he  published  in  Japanese  by  the  Christian  Literature  Society, 
and  in  English  by  Scribner.  My  remaining  lectures  and  ad- 
dresses covered  a wide  variety  of  topics,  social,  educational  and 
religious.  I had  repeated  opportunities  to  address  audiences 
of  non-Christians,  the  most  interesting  perhaps  being  the  Con- 
cordia Society  of  Tokyo,  a group  of  eminent  scholars  repre- 
senting the  leading  religions  of  Japan.  I was  also  invited  to 
address  the  students  of  the  Waseda  and  the  Imperial  Universities 
at  Tokyo,  the  students  of  the  government  law  college  at  Peking, 
as  well  as  other  representative  groups  of  non- Christians. 

In  each  of  the  communities  through  which  I passed  I visited 
the  leading  missionary  institutions  and  conferred  with  repre- 
sentative missionaries  of  different  denominations.  I had  a 
number  of  opportunities  to  meet  representatives  of  the  non- 
Christian  religions,  and  took  every  means  in  my  power  to  inform 
myself  as  to  their  condition,  prospects  and  influence.  I was 
fortunate  enough  also  to  meet  many  Japanese  leaders  in  educa- 


11 


tional  and  diplomatic  circles,  and  to  gain  some  insight  into  the 
social  problems  of  the  new  Japan. 

I was  everywhere  most  cordially  received  and,  if  I were  to 
mention  all  those  to  whom  I am  under  obligation  for  personal 
help  and  kindness,  the  list  would  run  into  the  hundreds.  Homes 
were  everywhere  freely  opened  to  us  and  during  our  entire  trip 
in  the  Far  East  we  spent  only  six  nights  in  a hotel. 

I made  a particular  point  of  looking  up  our  own  graduates, 
and  was  gratified  to  find  them  holding  important  posts  and 
doing  useful  work.  In  all  I met  personally  more  than  forty 
out  of  nearly  a hundred  Union  Seminary  alumni  in  the  Far 
East.  At  Shanghai  the  alumni  gave  me  a lunch  at  the  Hotel 
Astor.  At  Tokyo,  where  an  alumni  association  has  recently  been 
formed,  we  were  entertained  at  dinner  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coleman, 
eleven  out  of  fourteen  graduates  of  the  Seminary  being  present. 
Wherever  I went  I found  our  alumni  keenly  interested  in  the 
Seminary,  and  our  plan  for  a department  of  missionary  training 
was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm. 

Outside  of  the  circle  of  our  own  alumni  and  friends  I found 
the  Seminary  well  known  and  much  esteemed  for  its  service  to 
the  cause  of  missions.  The  wise  and  tactful  conduct  of  our 
alumni  on  the  field  has  done  much  to  dispel  prejudice  and 
remove  misunderstanding. 

I brought  back  from  my  trip  the  conviction  that  in  its  work 
as  a training  school  of  missionaries,  the  Seminary  has  an  oppor- 
tunity of  exceptional  promise  which,  if  embraced  without  delay, 
will  enable  it  to  render  a service  of  great  importance  to  the 
cause  of  missions.  In  order  to  describe  this  opportunity  intelli- 
gently it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  say  a few  words  about  the 
missionary  situation  in  general,  and  to  point  out  some  of  the 
special  phases  of  the  situation  which  bear  directly  upon  the 
work  of  missionary  preparation. 


II 


GENERAL  IMPRESSIONS  AS  TO  THE  EXISTING 
SITUATION  ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 

1 

Magnitude  of  the  Enterprise 

The  first  impression  made  upon  one  who  visits  the  mission 
field  for  the  first  time  is  of  the  magnitude  of  the  missionary  en- 
terprise. Considered  simply  as  a business  proposition  missions 
are  a going  concern.  Both  in  the  physical  plant  operated,  the 
numbers  of  men  and  women  employed,  and  the  influence  exerted, 
foreign  missions  are  one  of  the  outstanding  facts  with  which 
any  intelligent  traveler  in  countries  like  China  and  Japan  must 
reckon.  The  compounds  of  the  leading  foreign  missionary 
societies  occupy  large  tracts  of  land  in  each  of  the  leading  cities. 
The  houses  of  the  missionaries  are  substantial  and  comfortable. 
The  educational  and  religious  enterprises,  judged  by  the  stan- 
dards which  prevail,  are  well  housed.  In  a city  like  Shanghai 
the  missionary  community  numbers  perhaps  five  hundred  per- 
sons; in  Peking  and  in  Tokyo,  several  hundreds.  A glance 
over  the  index  of  the  Mission  Year  books  of  China  and  Japan 
reveals  a story  of  many-sided  and  efficient  activity.  One  feels 
that  in  the  large  cities  at  least  the  pioneer  stage  of  Christian 
missions  is  past,  and  that  a work  which  commands  such  large 
resources  of  men  and  of  money  must  be  judged  by  more  exact- 
ing standards  than  those  which  were  applied  a generation  ago. 

2 

Extent  of  the  Success  Already  Attained 

Nor  is  it  simply  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  money  and  the 
energy  invested  that  foreign  missions  impress  the  visitor.  Their 
influence  in  each  of  the  countries  in  which  they  are  at  work  is 
altogether  out  of  proportion  to  the  number  of  individuals 
who  are  concerned.  In  China  the  leading  educational  in- 


12 


13 


stitutions  have  been,  up  to  the  present  time,  missionary  insti- 
tutions. Missionaries  have  been  leaders  in  various  movements 
of  social  reform,  notably  the  movement  for  the  suppression  of 
opium.  In  Nanking  one  of  our  own  graduates,  Mr.  Joseph 
Baillie,  has  been  a pioneer  in  the  work  of  reforestation  and 
scientific  agriculture.  In  Hangchow  the  Christian  community, 
though  numbering  only  eight  hundred  in  a population  of  sev- 
eral hundred  thousand,  succeeded  in  defeating  a movement  for 
the  opening  of  a quarter  for  licensed  vice,  after  the  land  had 
been  granted  and  the  buildings  actually  erected. 

In  Korea,  until  the  advent  of  the  Japanese,  missionaries  were 
everywhere  looked  up  to  as  the  leaders  of  the  nation.  In  the 
absence  of  any  effective  native  leadership  either  in  church  or 
state,  every  forward  movement  was  due  to  their  initiative,  and 
it  would  be  difficult  to-day  to  find  any  community,  even  in  the 
United  States,  where  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  their 
inhabitants,  the  Christian  churches  exercise  a more  powerful 
influence.  In  Pyeng  Yang  I attended  the  Sunday  School  of  the 
Central  Presbyterian  church.  Three  sessions  were  required  to 
accommodate  the  scholars  who  in  each  filled  the  main  audience 
room  to  its  capacity.  At  the  first  session  more  than  four  hun- 
dred men  and  older  boys  were  in  attendance,  at  the  second,  six 
hundred  women,  while  the  same  number  of  children  of  both 
sexes  attended  the  final  session.  And  the  Central  is  but  one  of 
seven  Presbyterian  churches  in  Pyeng  Yang,  while  the  Method- 
ists have  a work  second  only  in  importance  to  that  of  the 
Presbyterians.  At  Syen  Chun,  fully  half  of  the  population  are 
Christians,  and  from  both  centres  an  active  evangelistic  cam- 
paign is  being  carried  on,  in  which  the  workers  are  largely 
volunteers  serving  at  their  own  charges. 

Even  in  Japan,  where  Christianity  confronts  a powerful,  inde- 
pendent organization,  both  in  church  and  state,  the  influence 
exerted  by  Christians  on  public  opinion  is  altogether  out  of 
proportion  to  their  numbers.  While  I was  in  Japan  the  attempt 
was  made  to  open  a licensed  quarter  near  some  schools  in  the 
city  of  Osaka.  A powerful  opposition  at  once  arose,  in  which 
Christians  were  the  leaders.  On  many  important  social  ques- 
tions, such  as  the  divorce  question,  the  right  of  woman  to  the 
protection  of  her  person,  the  drink  question,  and  the  like, 
Christianity  has  proved  itself  a powerful  factor  in  the  formation 
of  public  opinion.  Measured  by  what  it  has  accomplished,  the 


14 


amount  which  has  been  expended  for  Christian  missions  has 
justified  itself  to  date. 

3 

Greatness  of  the  Work  Still  to  be  Done 

A third  impression  produced  by  a visit  to  the  mission  field 
is  of  the  greatness  of  the  work  still  to  be  done.  This  is  true 
even  when  one  takes  the  narrowest  view  of  Christianity  as  a 
purely  individualistic  religion.  Eespectable  as  are  the  numbers 
of  the  converts,  they  are  still,  with  the  single  exception  of 
Korea,  but  a small  fraction  in  each  of  the  non- Christian  coun- 
tries, and  when  one  passes  from  the  individual  to  the  social 
point  of  view  and  considers  what  has  still  to  be  done  to  create  a 
Christian  society  one  feels  that  one  is  facing  a task  not  for 
decades  but  for  centuries. 

This  impression  of  the  greatness  of  the  task  is  most  vivid  in 
China.  I spent  two  days  in  Hwaiyuan,  with  our  own  graduate, 
James  Cochran.  Hwaiyuan  is,  I suppose,  one  of  the  best 
managed  mission  stations  in  China.  It  has  an  excellent  hospital, 
a fine  church,  good  schools,  and  an  adequate  and  spacious  com- 
pound for  the  workers.  The  work  has  been  well  manned  and 
conducted  with  intelligence  and  success.  A Christian  com- 
munity has  been  gathered;  boys  and  girls  are  being  trained, 
and  through  an  evangelistic  campaign  the  influence  of  the 
central  station  is  reaching  into  the  surrounding  villages.  Yet 
when  one  measures  what  has  been  done  by  what  still  remains 
to.be  done  one  realizes  the  vastness  of  the  task.  Sanitary  con- 
ditions in  the  city  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence ; the  village 
washing  is  done  in  a pond  into  which  the  sewage  of  the  city 
drains,  and  Mr.  Cochran  found  it  convenient  to  send  his  wash  to 
Nanking,  three  hours  away  by  rail.  Foot-binding  is  still  almost 
universally  practiced;  executions  take  place  on  the  public  road 
outside  the  village,  and  the  bodies  are  left  to  lie  unburied  until 
the  family  or  some  friend  comes  to  reclaim  them.  The  exposure 
of  female  infants  is  of  common  occurrence.  When  I was  in  the 
hospital  Dr.  Samuel  Cochran  showed  me  a man  whose  body  was 
frightfully  burned.  He  was  a respectable  merchant  who  had 
been  beset  by  robbers  and  tortured  in  order  that  he  might 
betray  the  whereabouts  of  his  money.  As  Chinese  communities 


15 


go,  Hwaiyuan  is  a very  decent  place,  and  the  magistrate,  the 
centre  of  all  power  in  the  Chinese  community,  a good  one  as 
magistrates  go.  But  when  one  applies  to  such  a community  the 
standard  of  the  Christian  social  ideal,  one  realizes  how  much 
has  still  to  be  done  before  China  becomes  a Christian  nation. 

It  would  be  unfair  to  generalize  from  a single  example ; but 
the  impression  made  in  Hwaiyuan  was  confirmed  by  what  I 
saw  elsewhere  in  China.  Except  in  centres  like  Shanghai  and 
Tientsin,  where  foreigners  have  exerted  a controlling  influence, 
one  hears  everywhere  the  same  story  of  inefficiency,  inertia  and 
corruption.  More  even  than  in  Syria  I felt  myself  transported 
back  into  pre-Christian  conditions,  both  as  to  economics  and  as 
to  psychology.  With  human  material  of  unusual  promise,  with 
capacities  for  industry,  endurance,  patience  and  good  humor, 
unparalleled  in  any  other  people,  with  individual  examples  of 
character  and  achievement  nowhere  surpassed,  there  is  yet 
something  lacking  in  China  which  it  will  take  generations,  yes, 
centuries  to  supply.  Of  India  I cannot  speak  at  firsthand,  but 
with  this  exception  China  impressed  me  as  the  great  mission 
field  of  the  world. 

When,  however,  one  shifts  one ’s  point  of  view  from  the  longer 
to  the  nearer  future  one  is  led  to  modify  one’s  judgment.  In 
magnitude  China  may  be  the  great  mission  field,  but  in  urgency 
J apan  comes  first.  This  is  due  to  many  different  causes ; in  part 
to  the  more  effective  social  organization  of  Janpan  which  makes 
it  possible  to  influence  the  whole  country  more  rapidly  and  more 
effectively;  in  part  to  the  relative  strength  and  independence 
of  the  native  church  which  has  in  Japan  a power  which  the 
church  in  China  does  not  possess ; but  above  all,  to  the  strategic 
position  which  Japan  holds  in  the  political  world  both  with 
reference  to  China  and  to  Korea.  Like  all  the  countries  of  the 
world  Japan  faces  a crisis  in  her  political  fortunes,  and  her 
decision  both  in  questions  of  domestic  and  of  foreign  policy  will 
have  momentous  consequences  not  only  for  Christianity  within 
her  own  borders  but  in  the  world.  Nowhere  in  my  judgment  is 
Christian  leadership  more  needed  than  in  Japan  to-day,  and 
nowhere  will  the  next  ten  years  count  for  more. 

There  is  an  impression  in  certain  Christian  circles  that  the 
work  of  missions  in  Japan  is  practically  over,  and  that  from 
this  time  on  the  responsibility  for  Christianizing  Japan  can  be 
Jaid  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  native  church.  I believe  that 


16 


this  is  a mistaken  impression,  and  that  there  will  be  work  for 
the  right  kind  of  missionary  in  Japan  for  many  years.  It  is  true 
that  the  work  of  the  missionary  in  Japan  is  very  different  from 
that  of  the  missionary  in  China.  In  China  what  is  needed  is 
patient  instruction  in  the  elementary  tasks  of  sanitation,  econo- 
mics and  citizenship,  until  a generation  of  Chinese  has  been 
raised  up  who  are  able  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  Christian 
leadership  all  along  the  line.  In  Japan  the  problem  of  the  mis- 
sionary is  to  cooperate  with  the  leaders  of  the  native  church  in 
creating  a public  sentiment  strong  enough  to  affect  the  life  of 
the  nation  as  a whole.  In  view  of  the  strength  of  the  anti- 
Christian  influences  now  at  work  in  Japan,  this  is  a task  as 
important  as  it  is  difficult,  and  it  would  be  unfortunate  if  the 
recent  emphasis  in  missionary  appeal  upon  the  needs  of  China, 
an  emphasis  not  greater  than  the  facts  warrant,  should  obscure 
even  for  a moment  the  equally  important,  and  as  I believe,  even 
more  pressing  need  of  Japan. 

4 

The  Opportunity  for  Further  Advance 

But  if  the  need  is  great,  so  is  the  opportunity.  In  every 
country  that  I visited  I found  the  barriers  which  have  hampered 
the  missionary  enterprise  in  the  past  in  the  way  of  removal,, 
and  the  way  open  for  a forward  movement  all  along  the  line. 

This  is  notably  true  in  China.  The  attitude  of  suspicion 
which  characterized  the  days  of  the  Boxer  outbreak  is  giving 
place  to  a feeling  of  sympathy  and  confidence.  Intelligent 
Chinese  welcome  the  help  that  Christian  missions  can  bring 
them  in  solving  their  national  and  social  problems,  and  the 
hospital  and  the  school  have  established  points  of  contact  which 
give  the  missionary  easy  access  to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those 
for  whom  he  works.  I have  spoken  of  the  discouragements 
which  the  missionary  must  face:  the  corruption  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  inertia  of  the  people,  the  heavy  weight  of  the  dead 
hand  of  the  past.  And  it  is  necessary  to  do  this  if  one  is  to 
give  a true  picture  of  the  facts.  So  much  has  been  said  in 
missionary  circles  of  the  awakening  of  China  in  the  past  few 
years,  and  of  the  new  forces  which  are  making  themselves  felt 
in  the  life  of  the  nation,  that  there  is  danger  that  those  at  home 


17 


will  underestimate  the  difficulty  of  the  task  and  the  long  time 
that  must  elapse  before  the  desired  results  appear.  And  yet 
it  is  true  that  China  is  awakening,  and  that  in  spite  of  the  dis- 
couragements of  her  present  political  situation,  there  are  ele- 
ments in  the  life  of  the  nation  that  are  full  of  promise  for  the 
future.  There  is  a new  spirit  abroad  of  which  one  finds  evidence 
in  the  most  unexpected  places,  a spirit  of  expectation  and  hope. 
Minds  are  waking  up  and  new  ideals  are  being  conceived. 
Nothing  impressed  me  more  in  my  trip  through  China  than  the 
eagerness  with  which  the  more  thoughtful  Chinese — and  I 
may  add  Chinese  women — followed  the  changing  political  con- 
ditions, and  the  extent  to  which  the  standard  by  which  they 
judged  was  a moral  standard.  Whatever  other  influences  may 
have  cooperated  in  Yuan  Shih  Kai’s  downfall,  the  fact  that  he 
broke  his  pledged  word  was  an  important  one.  Men  felt 
that  he  could  not  be  trusted,  and  so  he  had  to  go.  How  China 
is  to  meet  the  crisis  of  the  immediate  future  he  would  be  a 
wise  man  who  should  venture  to  predict,  but  that  there  are 
moral  forces  in  China  which,  if  properly  directed,  will  in  time 
make  her  the  great  country  she  promises  to  be,  no  one  who  has 
been  even  a month  in  China  can  doubt. 

Equally  impressive  though  different  in  kind  is  the  opportunity 
in  Japan.  There  was  a time  some  years  ago  when  the  relations 
between  the  missionary  body  and  the  native  church  were  some- 
what strained.  But  now  that  the  church  has  won  its  inde- 
pendence, and  the  missionaries  have  frankly  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  advisers,  this  strain  has  been  removed.  When  the 
missionary  comes  to  the  Japanese  in  the  spirit  of  brotherhood 
and  equality  with  suggestions  based  upon  superior  knowledge 
and  experience,  his  help  is  eagerly  welcomed  and  his  suggestions 
are  apt  to  be  followed.  I do  not  believe  that  there  is  any  place 
in  the  world  to-day  where  the  presence  of  a small  group  of  able 
and  far-sighted  men  full  of  sympathy  with  Japan  in  her  legiti- 
mate aspirations  and  inspired  with  the  Christian  ideal  of 
brotherhood  and  service  can  do  more  to  advance  the  Kingdom 
of  God. 

In  Latin  America  too  doors  are  opening  in  unexpected  ways. 
The  restrictive  policy  which  used  to  obtain  in  the  Latin  Amer- 
ican states  is  rapidly  yielding  to  one  of  toleration  if  not  of 
sympathy.  In  the  Central  American  republics  the  govern- 
ments cordially  welcome  Protestant  missionaries  and  cooperate 


18 


with  them.  In  Pern,  the  stronghold  of  reaction,  liberty  of 
worship  and  of  teaching  has  finally  been  granted  to  Protestants. 
Thoughtful  Latin  Americans  are  becoming  concerned  at  the 
state  of  irreligion  in  their  universities  and  welcome  the  presen- 
tation of  a form  of  Christianity  which  is  not  inconsistent  with 
the  results  of  modern  science. 

So  much  has  been  said  recently  in  the  papers  about  the 
Panama  Congress  that  it  may  be  of  interest  to  say  a word  as 
to  the  impressions  which  I received  there.  I confess  that  I 
went  to  Panama  somewhat  in  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
gathering  and  open  to  conviction  as  to  whether  the  Latin 
American  countries  were  really  a missionary  field  in  the  strictest 
sense.  I came  back  with  a clear  conviction  that  not  only  was 
Latin  America  a mission  field  for  Protestants  but  one  of  the 
highest  importance  and  promise.  This  is  due  in  part  to  physical 
reasons  like  the  vastness  of  the  territory  and  the  difficulty  of 
communication;  in  part,  to  social  reasons  like  the  absence  of 
any  strong  middle  class  to  act  as  a connecting  like  between  the 
little  company  of  the  well  to  do  and  the  educated,  and  the  great 
mass  of  ignorant  laborers  in  the  different  countries;  but  above 
all,  to  the  absence  of  effective  Christian  agencies  to  counteract 
these  difficulties  and  to  supply  the  uplifting  and  unifying 
influence  which  is  needed.  When  all  allowance  has  been  made 
for  the  work  which  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  done  and 
is  doing  in  the  person  of  many  of  its  representatives,  with  all 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  in  certain  of  the  Latin  American 
countries  like  Chile,  Argentina  and  Brazil,  we  have  a relatively 
high  civilization  which  compares  favorably  with  the  corre- 
sponding civilization  of  Europe,  the  fact  remains  that  when  we 
take  the  field  as  a whole  there  is  a work  to  be  done  by  Protestant 
missions  which  intelligent  Latin  Americans  themselves  recog- 
nize and  heartily  welcome. 

One  of  the  most  impressive  addresses  at  the  Panama  Con- 
gress was  delivered  by  Judge  del  Toro,  a Catholic  layman  of 
Porto  Rico.  It  was  entitled  “The  Principles  and  Spirit  of 
Jesus  essential  to  meet  the  social  needs  of  our  time,”  and 
was  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the  confernce  to  bring  to  his 
fellow  countrymen  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese  speech  the  type 
of  free  and  spiritual  religion  which  has  been  so  important  a 
factor  in  the  life  of  the  Protestant  peoples  of  the  North. 

An  interesting  phase  of  the  situation  on  which  I can  touch 


19 


only  in  a word  has  to  do  with  the  relation  of  Christianity  to 
the  non- Christian  religions.  Here  also  conditions  have  changed 
greatly  in  the  last  few  years  and  for  the  better.  In  every 
country  that  I visited  the  Christian  has  access  to  leaders  of 
the  non-Christian  religions  of  a kind  which  would  have  seemed 
impossible  only  a few  years  ago.  In  China  Confucianism  im- 
presses one  as  the  one  moral  agency  of  importance  which  can 
be  counted  upon  for  help  in  the  moral  regeneration  of  the 
people.  Buddhism  seems  moribund  in  spite  of  spasmodic  efforts 
of  the  Japanese  Buddhists  to  revive  it,  Mohammedanism  is 
content  to  hold  its  own  and  make  little  effort  at  propaganda. 
The  real  religion  of  the  mass  of  the  Chinese  seems  to  be  a form 
of  spirit  worship,  chiefly  animated  by  fear.  In  all  China 
Christianity  meets  no  strong  and  effective  opponent,  and  already 
the  reflex  influence  of  its  propaganda  is  beginning  to  appear 
in  the  effect  upon  the  leaders  of  the  non-Christian  religions. 
Far-sighted  missionaries  like  Timothy  Richard  have  established 
points  of  personal  contact  with  leading  representatives  of  the 
non-Christian  faiths.  In  Peking  there  was  recently  held  a 
conference  of  the  leading  Mollahs,  somewhat  after  the  model 
of  John  R.  Mott’s  Continuation  Conferences,  to  consider  what 
was  the  matter  with  Mohammedanism  and  what  could  be  done 
to  revive  it.  A similar  conference,  I am  told,  is  planned  by 
the  Buddhists, 

In  Japan  conditions  are  very  different,  but  the  outlook  is  no 
less  encouraging.  Here  Buddhism  is  a living  religion  that  is 
carrying  on  an  active  missionary  propaganda.  It  has  its  pro- 
fessors in  the  imperial  universities;  it  has  its  own  educational 
establishments.  It  is  imitating  the  social  institutions  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  has  its  young  men’s  Buddhist  associations  and  its 
Buddhist  Sunday  schools.  It  has  revived  preaching  and  is 
creating  a popular  literature.  All  this  is  so  much  to  the  good. 
It  focuses  attention  on  questions  of  religion;  it  creates  a class 
of  men  to  whom  the  Christian  propaganda  is  of  interest.  While 
it  makes  demands  for  a high  order  of  training  on  the  part  of 
the  Christian  missionary  and  a sympathetic  understanding  not 
easy  for  a foreigner,  there  is  evidence  that  the  work  of  Christian 
missions  is  having  a far  wider  influence  than  a superficial  ob- 
server would  realize.  Many  Buddhist  priests  are  reading  the 
Bible ; not  a few  are  Christians  at  heart. 

It  is  more  difficult  to  give  a just  estimate  of  the  significance 


20 


of  Shinto  in  the  religions  life  of  Japan.  Shinto  is  the  primitive 
religion  of  Japan,  the  form  in  which  the  spirit  worship  which 
is  the  prevailing  religion  in  China,  reappears  in  this  new  en- 
vironment. But  in  Japan  it  has  undergone  an  independent 
development  and,  through  its  association  with  the  ideals  of 
patriotism,  acquired  a new  lease  of  life.  The  festival  in  com- 
memoration of  the  heroic  dead  plays  an  important  part  in 
developing  the  national  self-consciousness.  And  while  the  gov- 
ernment has  decided  that  its  significance  is  civic  and  not  re- 
ligious, and  some  missionaries  have  acquiesced  in  this  interpre- 
tation, it  must  be  confessed  that  for  many  Japanese  the  distinc- 
tion is  difficult  to  make.  There  are  thoughtful  missionaries  who 
believe  that  in  the  future  it  will  appear  that  Shinto  and  not 
Buddhism  is  the  most  formidable  rival  of  Christianity,  and  that 
in  spite  of  the  government  disclaimer,  it  may  develop  into  a 
religion  of  imperialism  which,  as  in  ancient  Rome,  will  deify 
the  State  and  make  the  will  of  the  Emperor  the  supreme  law. 

5 

The  Unity  of  the  Missionary  Enterprise 

A fifth  impression  which  one  gains  from  a visit  to  the  mission 
field  is  of  the  unity  of  the  work.  For  convenience  we  divide  the 
work  of  missions  into  sections  which  we  label  home  and  foreign ; 
but  the  divisions  are  only  for  convenience.  In  principle  we  face 
the  same  problems  everywhere,  whether  in  Shanghai  or 
Yokohama,  Buenos  Aires  or  New  York. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  two  fields  where  the 
external  conditions  are  more  different  than  in  China  and  Latin 
America.  In  one  case  you  are  dealing  with  an  ancient  civiliza- 
tion; in  the  other,  with  one  comparatively  modem.  In  the 
first  case,  with  a population  of  exceptional  density  where  the 
mere  task  of  securing  means  of  subsistence  for  the  people  is 
constantly  pressing;  in  the  other  case,  with  a widely  scattered 
population  spread  over  vast  reaches  of  territory.  Yet  in  both 
cases  the  problems  to  be  faced  and  the  difficulties  to  be  over- 
come are  essentially  the  same.  When  I was  in  Shanghai  I was 
requested  to  give  a talk  before  an  audience  of  missionaries  on 
my  experiences  at  Panama,  and  when  I finished,  the  presiding 
officer  remarked  that  the  description  of  the  situation  and  the 


21 


needs  could  be  transferred  to  China  with  the  change  of  but  a 
single  word. 

And  what  is  true  as  between  the  different  sections  of  the 
mission  field  is  true  also  with  reference  to  the  work  at  home. 
I came  to  my  study  of  the  foreign  field  from  a background  of 
some  years’  experience  as  a home  mission  administrator,  and  I 
found  that  there  is  scarcely  a single  problem  which  the  mission- 
ary confronts  in  China,  or  Japan,  which  is  not  faced  in  principle 
by  the  church  at  home.  The  problem  of  race,  of  language,  of 
class  prejudice,  of  denominational  rivalry,  of  the  degree  of 
the  church’s  responsibility  for  social  and  economic  conditions, 
the  problems  of  Christian  education  and  of  comity — these  and 
many  more  which  could  be  named  are  common  Christian  prob- 
lems. The  line  between  home  and  foreign  is  an  imaginary  line, 
like  the  equator  on  the  map. 

Nor  is  the  unity  simply  in  the  problems  to  be  faced.  It 
appears  also  in  the  reflex  influence  which  is  being  exerted  by 
one  country  upon  another.  The  work  of  the  missionary  as  he 
preaches  brotherly  love  and  unselfishness  is  handicapped  by  the 
prejudice  created  by  the  conduct  of  his  fellow-countrymen  at 
home  who,  as  a matter  of  fact,  are  acting  selfishly.  It  is  hard 
to  presuade  men  of  the  practicability  of  Christianity  as  a social 
programme  for  China  when  every  mail  brings  evidence  of  its 
failure  in  countries  calling  themselves  Christian.  More  powerful 
than  any  argument  for  Christianity  which  the  missionaries  can 
give  on  the  field  would  be  the  success  of  the  Christian  church 
in  Christianizing  social  conditions  at  home. 

The  intimate  connection  between  the  problem  on  the  field 
and  the  church  at  home  was  constantly  brought  to  my  attention 
during  my  trip.  When  I asked  why  such  and  such  a thing  was 
not  done,  or  why  such  and  such  a policy  was  not  followed,  the 
answer  was  frequently  that  the  sentiment  of  the  church  at 
home  would  not  permit  it.  The  prejudices  and  limitations  of 
our  local  denominationalism  are  reflected  across  the  sea,  and 
the  church  in  Japan  and  China  is  less  effective  than  it  might 
be  because  of  the  failure  and  inefficiency  of  the  church  at  home. 

The  consciousness  that  the  Christian  enterprise  through- 
out the  world  is  one  has  been  greatly  reinforced  by  the  war. 
One  of  my  chief  objects  in  visiting  the  mission  field  at  this  time 
was  to  learn  what  had  been  the  effect  of  this  world  catastrophe 
upon  the  estimate  of  Christianity  by  the  non-Christian  peoples. 


22 


Would  the  war  make  the  appeal  of  the  missionary  more  difficult, 
or  would  it  reinforce  it  by  its  demonstration  of  the  appalling 
consequences  of  the  policy  of  national  selfishness,  which  has 
hitherto  been  controlling  in  the  relation  between  nations?  On 
the  whole  the  latter  has  proved  to  be  the  case.  The  war  has 
proved  to  thoughtful  men  in  China  and  Japan  not  that  Chris- 
tianity is  a failure,  but  that  the  nations  which  call  themselves 
Christians  are  not  really  so.  It  has  accentuated  the  gap  between 
the  professions  of  the  western  nations  and  their  practice,  and 
made  us  realize  as  never  before  that,  so  far  as  its  national 
and  social  life  is  concerned,  there  is  not  a country  in  the  world 
which  is  not  missionary  territory. 

6 

The  Wisdom  of  the  Present  Leadership 

The  sixth  and  final  impression  of  which  I shall  speak  here 
is  of  the  wisdom  and  ability  of  the  present  missionary  leader- 
ship. When  I wTas  in  Panama  I had  the  opportunity  of  talking 
with  representatives  of  all  the  larger  Protestant  missionary 
societies,  and  of  learning  their  attitude  toward  the  group  of 
questions  which  are  raised  by  the  situation  I have  described ; 
and  I have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  impression  which  I 
received  was  most  encouraging.  I am  convinced  that  wTith  few 
exceptions  those  responsible  for  our  present  missionary  leader- 
ship have  a clear  conception  of  what  needs  to  be  done  and  the 
earnest  desire  to  do  this  so  far  as  conditions  allow.  The  older 
individualistic  conception  is  everywhere  seen  to  be  inadequate, 
and  men  realize  that  without  intelligent  cooperation  success  is 
impossible.  The  note  of  unity  and  daring  struck  at  Edinburgh 
has  re-echoed  throughout  the  entire  church  and  in  ideal  at  least 
the  leaders  of  the  missionary  enterprise  are  at  one. 

Nor  is  this  true  only  in  ideal.  Much  progress  has  been  made 
in  creating  the  machinery  of  effective  cooperation.  The  Con- 
tinuation Committee  created  by  the  Edinburgh  Conference  for 
all  the  countries  outside  of  Latin  America  has  now  been  matched 
by  a Continuation  Committee  taking  in  these  countries  as  well. 
For  the  first  time  in  its  history  the  missionary  body  has  an 
organ  through  which  it  can  express  its  unity  and  correlate  its 
work. 


23 


This  unification  of  missionary  forces  and  ideals  at  home  has 
its  parallel  in  the  field.  In  each  of  the  great  centres  we  find 
cooperative  movements  of  great  promise.  The  central  Con- 
tinuation Committees  of  which  I have  spoken  have  their  parallels 
in  local  committees  covering  a single  country  or  group,  and  the 
consciousness  that  the  Christian  enterprise  is  one  is  everywhere 
in  evidence.  One  of  the  pleasantest  features  of  my  trip  was 
the  opportunity  of  attending  gatherings  like  the  weekly  prayer 
meeting  at  Shanghai  where  all  the  Christian  forces  come  to- 
gether for  conference  and  fellowship.  There  can  be  no  question 
that  as  between  the  church  at  home  and  abroad  the  conscious- 
ness of  unity  on  the  foreign  field  is  more  highly  developed  and 
the  possibilities  of  effective  cooperation  are  greater. 

Such  then  are  the  general  impressions  which  I brought  back 
from  the  mission  field : the  magnitude  of  the  enterprise ; the 
extent  of  the  accomplishment  to  date ; the  greatness  of  the  work 
still  to  be  done;  the  range  and  many-sidedness  of  the  oppor- 
tunity; the  unity  of  the  work  both  at  home  and  abroad;  the 
wisdom  and  efficiency  of  the  present  missionary  leadership.  It 
is  with  these  considerations  in  mind  that  we  must  approach  the 
special  problems  which  the  missionary  faces  to-day. 


III. 


SPECIAL  PROBLEMS  AND  NEEDS 

1 

The  Problem  of  Administrative  Efficiency 

When  one  approaches  a complex  situation  such  as  that  pre- 
sented by  modem  missions  it  is  essential  to  distinguish  between 
those  general  questions  of  principle  or  policy  which  affect  the 
situation  as  a whole,  and  the  more  specific  problems  and  needs 
which,  however  important  they  may  be  in  themselves,  are  yet 
relatively  independent.  Fundamental  among  these  more  general 
questions  is  that  of  administrative  method,  for  it  is  the  key  to 
all  the  rest. 

I have  spoken  already  of  the  impressions  which  I received  of 
the  wisdom  of  the  present  missionary  leadership.  But  this  is 
quite  consistent  with  the  recognition  that  there  is  room  for 
improvement  in  our  methods  of  missionary  administration.  At 
two  points  our  present  methods  fall  short  of  the  highest  stand- 
ards of  efficiency.  First,  in  their  lack  of  proper  coordination 
between  the  executive  at  home  and  its  representatives  on  the 
field;  and  secondly,  in  their  failure  to  make  the  most  effective 
use  of  the  force  on  the  field.  This  in  turn  is  due  in  part  to 
lack  of  proper  organization  of  the  different  units  at  work;  in 
part,  to  failure  to  provide  individual  workers  with  the  equip- 
ment they  need. 

This  failure  is  in  part  due  to  causes  which  are  unavoidable. 
When  one  considers  the  conditions  to  be  faced  the  wonder  is 
not  that  there  is  room  for  improvement  in  missionary  methods, 
but  that  so  much  has  been  accomplished  in  the  face  of  so  great 
obstacles.  Instead  of  a single  organization  covering  the  field  as 
a whole,  we  have  to  do  with  a large  number  of  independent 
societies,  each  with  its  own  traditions,  constituency  and  point 
of  view,  each  with  its  staff  of  workers  responsible  only  to  the 
home  authorities,  each  with  the  natural  local  pride  which  is 
characteristic  of  denominationalism  at  home.  The  obstacles  with 
which  we  are  all  familiar  in  our  efforts  to  secure  practical 

24 


2S 


cooperation  in  Christian  work  on  the  home  field  reproduce 
themselves  across  the  sea,  and  until  our  denominational  divisions 
are  overcome  and  organic  unity  secured,  at  least  in  the  greater 
branches  of  the  church,  we  must  continue  to  face  them.  Under 
these  circumstances,  I repeat,  the  wonder  is  not  that  the  highest 
success  is  not  always  attained,  hut  that  so  much  has  been 
accomplished,  as  is  in  fact  the  case. 

But  apart  from  the  inherent  difficulty  which  grows  out  of 
our  denominational  divisions  there  is  a further  difficulty  which 
hampers  our  missionary  secretaries,  and  that  is  the  disposition 
on  the  part  of  the  church  at  home  to  regard  money  spent  for 
purely  administrative  purposes  as  so  much  taken  from  the 
direct  work  of  the  church.  This  is  a prejudice  which  all  who 
have  had  to  do  with  missionary  administration  understand 
perfectly.  It  hampers  our  home  mission  enterprise  at  every 
point,  but  its  evils  are  accentuated  on  the  foreign  field.  In 
proportion  to  the  magnitude  and  difficulty  of  the  problems  to  be 
faced  is  the  need  of  flexibility  in  the  organization  to  deal  with 
them.  Experiments  must  be  tried,  conditions  studied,  the  results 
of  previous  experiments  analyzed  and  compared.  But  for  this 
there  is  need  of  an  administrative  staff  more  numerous  and 
more  efficiently  equipped  than  is  the  case  with  our  present  mis- 
sionary boards,  and  for  a reserve  of  mobile  funds  which  can 
be  used  to  meet  emergencies  as  they  arise  without  trenching  on 
the  work  to  which  the  boards  are  already  committed. 

On  the  way  to  Panama  one  of  our  delegation  met  a company 
of  American  business  men  traveling  to  Latin  America  on  busi- 
ness. When  they  learned  the  purpose  of  our  trip  they  became 
much  interested  and  asked  us  many  questions  as  to  the  methods 
followed  in  missionary  administration.  The  thing  which 
impressed  them  most  was  the  smallness  of  the  overhead 
charges.  This  did  not  seem  to  them  good  business.  “If  we 
were  to  undertake  such  an  enterprise  as  you  have  on  hand,” 
they  said,  “ we  should  set  apart  $20,000  or  $30,000  for  a pre- 
liminary survey.  We  should  take  the  best  men  we  could  find, 
send  them  all  through  the  field,  have  them  mature  careful 
plans  and  only  on  the  basis  of  their  report  feel  justified  in 
undertaking  the  work.  ’ 7 

This  is  the  way  in  which  our  present  missionary  methods 
appear  to  men  who  have  been  trained  in  modern  business 
methods.  If  our  work  as  missionaries  is  to  reach  the  highest 


26 


standard  of  efficiency  we  must  relieve  our  executive  heads  of 
much  of  the  burden  of  detail  which  now  rests  upon  them.  We 
must  unify  and  coordinate  our  work  more  perfectly.  We  must 
perfect  our  intelligence  departments  and  furnish  them  with 
the  means  they  need  for  effective  study.  We  must  not  expect 
each  of  our  secretaries  to  do  the  work  of  two  or  three  men, 
and  then  be  surprised  if  some  things  remain  undone.  We  must 
give  them  the  help  that  they  need  and  realize  that  every  dollar 
so  spent  is  true  economy. 

(1)  The  Relation  Between  the  Home  Base  and  the  Field 

One  effect  of  the  economy  thus  forced  upon  the  board  is  a 
lack  of  effective  coordination  between  the  executive  at  home  and 
its  representatives  on  the  field.  Wherever  I went  I found  the 
desire  for  some  method  for  securing  speedier  action  by  the  home 
authorities  upon  the  plans  prepared  on  the  field.  Years  pass 
between  the  visits  of  the  secretaries,  and  when  they  come,  the 
distance  to  be  covered  is  so  great  that  opportunities  for  confer- 
ence are  of  the  briefest.  I followed  Dr.  Speer  in  his  recent  trip 
to  the  Far  East  and  had  the  opportunity  to  compare  his  schedule 
with  my  own.  To  our  own  mission  in  Shanghai  he  could  give 
two  hours;  to  individual  missionaries  a scant  fifteen  minutes; 
for  all  of  Japan  little  more  than  two  weeks.  When  one  con- 
siders the  conditions  in  such  a field  as  China,  the  magnitude  and 
intricacy  of  the  problems,  the  rapidity  with  which  conditions 
change,  the  need  of  speedy  action  to  meet  emergencies  which 
cannot  be  foreseen,  and  reflects  that  the  entire  responsibility 
for  ultimate  decision  in  questions  of  this  kind  rests  with  the 
staff  in  New  York,  consisting  of  three  or  four  secretaries  each 
burdened  with  enough  work  to  fill  the  time  of  a dozen  ordinary 
men,  the  unsatisfactoriness  of  the  present  situation  becomes 
apparent.  One  of  the  pressing  needs  of  missionary  administra- 
tion is  of  some  readjustment  which  will  make  it  possible  for  the 
responsible  executive  officers  to  spend  more  time  on  the  field, 
or,  in  default  of  this,  to  put  a greater  burden  of  responsibility 
upon  resident  missionaries.  Many  of  the  missions  are  advocat- 
ing resident  secretaries.  In  those  churches  which  are  non- 
Episcopally  organized  the  attempt  is  being  made  to  secure  more 
efficient  administration  through  the  creation  of  local  committees 
under  chairmen  relieved  from  other  duties.  Thus  the  Pres- 


27 


byterians  have  set  apart  Dr.  Lowrie  for  such  work  in  China. 
The  Baptists  have  done  the  same  with  Mr.  Proctor.  But  what 
has  been  done  is  only  a beginning  of  what  is  needed. 

It  would  be  a great  advantage  if,  in  addition  to  more  frequent 
visits  from  the  board  secretaries,  the  members  of  the  different 
foreign  boards  should  themselves  make  a practice  of  visiting 
the  field.  This  would  be  specially  desirable  in  the  case  of  the 
lay  members.  Many  questions  of  missionary  policy  are  purely 
business  questions  and  the  judgment  of  business  men  would  be 
of  great  value.  The  materials  for  such  judgment  cannot  be 
transmitted  by  mail.  Only  first-hand  observation  on  the  ground 
will  suffice.  The  experience  of  Mr.  Louis  Severance  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  is  a case  in  point.  He  repeatedly  visited 
the  mission  field  and  took  time  for  intelligent  study  of  its  con- 
ditions; and  the  splendid  Severance  Hospital  at  Seoul  is  only 
one  of  the  many  evidences  of  the  beneficent  results  of  his  study. 

An  interesting  experiment  in  missionary  administration  is 
being  tried  by  the  Southern  Methodists  who  have  consolidated 
their  men’s  and  women’s  boards  and  given  women  representa- 
tion on  equal  terms  in  the  united  board.  If  this  example  should 
be  followed  by  other  churches,  it  would  make  possible  many 
economies  and  would  have  as  its  result  a closer  union  of  men’s 
and  women’s  work  all  along  the  line.  In  this  whole  matter  of 
women’s  work  we  are  going  through  a transition  period.  At 
first  women  had  to  fight  for  recognition,  and  secured  this 
through  the  organization  of  their  own  boards  and  the  assump- 
tion of  their  own  definite  sphere  of  responsibility.  At  Panama 
a day  was  set  apart  for  the  consideration  of  women’s  work, 
much  to  the  gratification  of  some  of  the  women  present  who 
regarded  this  as  an  advance  over  the  Edinburgh  Conference, 
where  no  special  provision  was  made  for  the  discussion  of 
women’s  work  as  such.  To  others,  however,  and  these  some  of 
the  most  thoughtful,  the  plan  followed  at  Panama  was  un- 
satisfactory, and  the  true  ideal  declared  to  be  the  cooperation 
of  men  and  women  in  each  branch  of  mission  work  under 
conditions  making  possible  the  most  effective  use  of  the  special 
gifts  of  each. 

(2)  The  Organization  of  the  Forces  on  the  Field 

The  organization  of  the  missionary  forces  of  each  denomina- 
tion within  the  larger  units  of  territory  needs  to  be  supplemented 


28 


by  interdenominational  organization,  so  far  as  that  is  practi- 
cable. Much  good  has  been  done  through  the  creation  of  con- 
tinuation committees  for  countries  like  China  and  Japan,  with 
efficient  secretaries  who  give  all  their  time  to  the  work.  But  as 
the  work  develops  and  problems  become  more  clearly  differen- 
tiated, these  central  bodies  will  need  to  be  supplemented  by 
smaller  local  units  of  the  same  kind  until  every  important  centre 
has  its  federation  or  church  council  organically  related  to  its 
fellows  and  to  the  larger  provincial  and  national  committees. 
Here  too  we  find  encouraging  beginnings,  and  in  more  than  one 
city,  as  in  Hangchow  under  Dr.  Fitch,  the  entire  Christian  body 
is  attacking  the  problem  of  city  evangelization  as  a unit,  and  in 
other  ways  showing  a spirit  of  cooperation  which  is  full  of 
promise  for  the  future. 

There  are  three  ways  in  which  cooperation  between  the  dif- 
ferent Christian  bodies  can  be  effected.  The  simplest  is  through 
a division  of  territory  such  as  obtains  in  Porto  Rico  and  the 
Philippines.  Such  a method  is  possible  in  sparsely  settled 
regions,  or  in  dealing  with  a country  of  the  magnitude  of  China, 
and,  where  feasible,  has  many  advantages.  A second  is  through 
a division  of  function.  Thus  in  Tokyo  the  Baptists  have  assumed 
the  care  of  the  religious  interests  of  the  Waseda  University,  with 
the  concurrence  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and 
other  Christian  bodies.  The  third  is  through  cooperative  enter- 
prises such  as  the  various  union  colleges  and  seminaries,  which 
are  so  notable  a feature  of  modern  missions,  especially  in  China, 
or  as  the  joint  evangelistic  campaign  which  is  being  conducted 
by  the  Japanese  churches. 

The  difficulty  with  union  educational  institutions  is  that  of 
securing  concentration  of  authority.  Where  all  must  be  con- 
sulted the  slowest  is  apt  to  set  the  pace,  and  in  the  interest  of 
union,  opportunities  for  a forward  movement  must  often  be 
neglected.  This  is  especially  true  of  theological  seminaries 
where  doctrinal  considerations  play  an  important  role  and  the 
more  liberal  and  progressive  members  of  the  faculty  have  to 
wait  for  the  approval  of  their  more  conservative  brethren.  On 
the  other  hand  the  habit  of  working  together  breeds  confidence, 
dispels  prejudice,  and  in  the  long  run  probably  lifts  the  whole 
body  to  a higher  level  than  would  otherwise  be  possible. 

An  instance  in  point  is  the  Baptist  Seminary  in  Shanghai. 
When  the  question  of  consolidating  the  theological  schools  of 


29 


central  China  had  to  be  faced,  two  possibilities  were  open: 
either  to  follow  sectional  lines,  and  unite  the  schools  of  the 
Northern  Baptists  and  Northern  Presbyterians  in  one  seminary 
while  the  southern  branches  of  both  churches  came  together  in 
another ; or  to  let  Baptists,  north  and  south,  unite  while  Presby- 
terians did  the  same.  The  latter  policy  was  followed,  and  I 
believe  wisely.  The  fear  of  those  who  predicted  that  the  doc- 
trinal differences  between  the  more  conservative  southerners  and 
their  more  progressive  northern  brethren  would  prevent  them 
from  working  together  effectively  have  not  been  justified  by  the 
event;  and  while  progress  has  probably  been  slower  for  both 
institutions  than  would  have  been  the  case  had  the  two  northern 
bodies  united,  it  has  been  none  the  less  sure.  I had  several 
conferences  with  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Baptist  institu- 
tion, and  found  them  facing  the  problem  of  theological  educa- 
tion with  an  open  mind,  and  revising  their  curriculum  so  as  to 
make  room  for  modem  studies  like  pedagogy,  sociology  and  the 
like.  In  Nanking  too  progress,  if  slow,  has  been  sure,  and  if 
the  plan  for  a special  honor  course  for  college  graduates  can  be 
carried  through  we  shall  see  marked  improvement  here  also. 

(3)  The  Problem  of  the  Best  Use  of  the  Individual 

Apart  from  the  regular  work  of  the  missions  there  will  always 
be  special  problems  and  tasks  which  can  be  dealt  with  only  by 
selected  individuals  who  are  fitted  for  the  task  by  unique  per- 
sonal gifts.  No  system  of  administration  can  be  called  effective 
which  does  not  take  account  of  this  fact,  and  try  as  far  as 
possible  to  meet  it.  But  here  again  our  boards  are  embarrassed 
by  the  pressure  upon  the  treasury  and  are  often  obliged  to  do 
the  possible  rather  than  the  best.  From  more  than  one  mission 
station  I came  away  with  the  impression  of  good  material  unused 
because  of  a lack  of  proper  coordination  of  the  man  with  the 
work.  Men  who  had  been  spending  years  in  preparation  for 
technical  work  in  theological  scholarship  were  teaching  mathe- 
matics or  physics  to  boys  of  high  school  grade,  or  were  using 
hours  which  might  be  given  to  creative  scholarship  in  matters 
of  routine  which  should  have  been  entrusted  to  a clerk  or  a 
stenographer.  Such  waste  of  good  material  is  neither  good 
business  nor  good  morals.  One  of  the  leaders  of  a sister  denomi- 
nation confided  to  me  in  private  his  conviction  that  it  would  be 


30 


a wise  policy  for  his  own  mission  to  dispense  with  the  services 
of  a third  of  the  present  staff,  if  by  so  doing  it  could  furnish 
the  other  two-thirds  with  the  equipment  which  would  enable 
them  to  prosecute  their  work  effectively.  This  is  no  doubt  an 
extreme  statement,  but  it  is  typical  of  what  thoughtful  mis- 
sionaries are  feeling,  and  I myself  saw  instances  enough  of  the 
wastefulness  of  our  present  methods  to  feel  much  sympathy 
with  this  point  of  view. 

To  take  but  a single  illustration.  I have  in  mind  a missionary 
in  Japan  who  for  years  has  been  interested  in  the  philosophy 
of  religion  and  has  been  specializing  in  the  history  of  the 
Buddhist  sects.  It  is  a work  of  great  importance  for  the  whole 
missionary  enterprise  which,  if  successfully  performed,  would 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  missionaries  information  of  much  use 
for  the  successful  prosecution  of  their  work.  But  the  time 
which  it  is  possible  for  my  friend  to  give  to  the  task  is  so  limited 
as  to  make  any  large  success  impossible.  Besides  his  scholarly 
work  he  must  attend  to  his  duties  as  teacher  of  philosophy  in 
the  college  of  which  he  is  a member.  He  is  treasurer  of  the 
mission  and  chairman  of  an  important  building  committee,  as 
well  as  of  other  college  committees.  The  hours  which  he  gives 
to  his  work  of  research  must  be  stolen  from  his  nights  after  the 
day ’s  work  is  done.  He  has  none  of  the  mechanical  helps  which 
would  relieve  him  of  the  physical  labor  of  copying  the  materials 
which  he  has  gathered.  To  secure  the  assistance  of  a Japanese 
scholar  to  translate  some  important  text  he  must  pay  the  bill 
out  of  his  own  salary  as  a missionary.  It  is  not  strange  if  the 
work  done  under  such  conditions  should  fail  to  measure  up  to 
the  highest  standards  of  scholarly  achievement. 

No  doubt  in  the  pioneer  period  of  missions  such  hand  to  mouth 
methods  were  inevitable.  Under  the  pressure  of  instant  need 
men  had  to  turn  their  hand  to  the  tasks  which  lay  nearest  at 
hand,  and  every  successful  missionary  was  something  of  a jack 
of  all  trades.  However  defective  his  work  might  be,  judged  by 
home  standards,  it  was  at  least  superior  to  that  of  his  neighbors, 
and  in  the  absence  of  competition,  second-best  was  better  than 
none.  But  this  condition  of  affairs  is  rapidly  changing.  In 
Japan  it  has  already  changed.  Here  the  missionary  faces  a 
highly  efficient  and  well-organized  administration,  a university 
system  based  upon  that  of  Germany,  an  admirable  civil 
service,  and  a nation  which  is  alive  to  all  the  changes  which  are 


31 


going  on  in  the  civilization  of  the  West.  It  is  clear  that  if 
Christianity  is  to  hold  its  own  under  such  conditions  our  own 
methods  must  he  not  less  efficient  than  those  with  which  we  are 
to  compete.  One  of  the  reasons  for  the  marked  success  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  gaining  access  to  the 
leaders  of  public  opinion  in  the  larger  centres  and  winning  their 
confidence  is  the  extent  to  which  it  has  recognized  this  fact, 
and  furnished  its  representatives  with  the  equipment  which  is 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  do  their  work  effectively. 

What  is  true  in  Japan  to-day  will  be  true  in  China  to-morrow, 
or  at  least  day  after  to-morrow.  Here,  too,  we  see  the  be- 
ginnings of  a new  educational  system  under  government  aus- 
pices. Up  to  this  time  what  has  been  done  has  been  greatly 
hampered  by  the  corruption  and  inefficiency  of  the  government, 
but  as  soon  as  a strong  government  shall  be  established  in  China 
we  shall  see  there  the  repetition  of  what  we  are  now  witnessing 
in  Japan.  Already  the  advent  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation 
with  its  plans  for  a medical  school  of  the  highest  scientific 
character  is  facing  medical  missions  in  China  with  new  condi- 
tions and  raising  new  problems.  And  what  is  true  of  medical 
education  will  be  true  sooner  or  later  of  education  in  all  its 
phases. 

This  raises  a question  of  missionary  policy  of  far-reaching 
importance.  How  far  ought  the  boards  themselves  to  under- 
take to  furnish  institutions  of  higher  learning  on  the  mission 
field?  How  far  should  they  be  content  to  cooperate  with  exist- 
ing institutions  after  the  manner  which  is  done  in  our  own 
country  by  such  agencies  as  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association?  It 
is  the  same  question  which  we  have  faced  at  home  with  the 
denominational  college,  but  on  the  foreign  field  it  is  complicated 
by  other  inuflences  which  make  it  more  difficult  of  solution. 

2 

The  Question  of  Educational  Policy 
(1)  Different  Theories  of  the  Function  of  Education  in  Missions 

There  are  two  theories  of  the  relation  of  missions  to  education. 
According  to  one  theory  education  is  simply  an  adjunct  to 
evangelization.  Schools  are  founded  and  hospitals  and  other 


32 


helpful  social  agencies  established  because  they  provide  a point 
of  contact  with  individuals.  The  direct  benefits  which  they  may 
render  are  only  incidental.  If  therefore  one  must  choose  between 
a number  of  institutions  of  lower  grade  affording  contact  with 
many  individuals  and  a few  of  higher  grade  teaching  a lesser 
number,  the  former  policy  is  to  be  preferred.  According  to 
the  other  theory  the  work  of  Christian  missions  consists  not 
only  in  evangelization,  but  also  in  giving  an  example  of  the 
true  nature  of  Christian  civilization.  The  work  of  the  doctor 
and  the  teacher  is  Christian  work,  and  in  providing  institutions 
of  the  highest  grade  inspired  by  Christian  motives  and  per- 
meated by  the  Christian  spirit,  we  are  doing  work  which  is 
legitimate  and  necessary. 

This  difference  of  opinion  has  its  source  in  a fundamental 
contrast  in  the  view  taken  of  Christianity  itself.  Are  we  to 
think  of  the  Christian  religion  as  something  apart  from  human 
life,  or  is  it  simply  a way  of  realizing  life  at  its  best?  If  the 
former  be  true,  then  our  aim  should  be  to  emphasize  the  con- 
trast between  religion  and  other  phases  of  human  experience, 
and  to  shelter  our  converts  as  far  as  possible  from  contact  with 
the  currents  of  modem  thought  which  tend  to  raise  the  ques- 
tioning spirit.  If  the  latter  be  true,  then  our  aim  should  be  to 
plant  our  institutions  at  the  very  heart  of  modem  life  and  show 
how  the  Christian  spirit  can  be  made  to  permeate  all  forms 
of  human  activity. 

This  contrast  appears  on  the  mission  field  to-day  in  most  acute 
form  in  Korea.  Korean  missions  have  on  the  whole  been  con- 
ducted on  the  first  of  these  principles  and,  as  we  have  seen,  have 
attained  a very  great  success.  To  an  extent  unparalleled  else- 
where on  the  mission  field  the  Korean  Christians  have  been 
sheltered  from  the  disturbing  influences  of  modem  thought,  and 
a native  church  of  large  numbers,  of  great  zeal  and  of  apostolic 
simplicity,  has  been  gathered  in  centres  like  Syen  Chun  and 
Pyeng  Yang,  and  from  these  centres  is  carrying  on  an  evangel- 
istic work  of  great  effectiveness.  But  with  the  advent  of  the  Japa- 
nese, conditions  in  Korea  are  changing.  The  primitive  customs 
which  have  obtained  hitherto  are  being  superseded  by  modem 
methods  and  with  new  economic  conditions  the  Koreans  face 
also  a changing  intellectual  environment. 

What  now  shall  be  the  Christian  attitude  in  such  a situation  ? 
Some  missionaries  believe,  and  I think  rightly,  that  there  is  only 


33 


one  thing  to  be  done:  to  recognize  the  new  conditions  as  facts 
which  have  to  be  faced ; to  adjust  our  methods  accordingly  and 
to  seek  in  every  way  possible  to  prepare  the  Korean  church 
for  the  transition  which  lies  before  it. 

With  this  in  view  it  is  proposed  to  establish  a strong  college 
in  Seoul  and  to  make  this  the  centre  of  Christian  education 
for  the  country,  in  the  belief  that  since  Seoul  is  the  capital  of 
Korea  and  the  centre  from  which  radiate  the  influences  which 
are  moulding  the  policy  and  shaping  the  life  of  the  nation,  it 
is  essential  that  this  should  be  the  place  in  which  the  strongest 
Christian  influences  are  concentrated.  To  many  of  the  Korean 
missionaries,  however,  this  seems  a dangerous  policy.  They  are 
afraid  to  expose  their  converts  to  the  contacts  of  the  capital, 
and  they  have  strongly  urged  upon  the  boards  the  location 
of  the  central  Christian  institution  of  Korea  at  Pyeng  Yang, 
where  there  is  already  a strong  Christian  community. 

A similar  contrast  meets  us  in  the  attitude  of  the  mission- 
aries in  China  to  the  Rockefeller  Foundation.  Here  also  we 
find  some,  and  these  among  the  most  responsible  of  the  mis- 
sionary body,  who  favor  hearty  cooperation  with  the  Foundation 
and  the  incorporation  of  the  existing  schools  of  the  missions  in 
its  plan  as  parts  of  a single  uniform  system.  To  others  such  a 
policy  seems  to  involve  the  surrender  of  the  primary  purpose  of 
Christian  medical  missions,  which  is  not  healing  men  but  saving 
souls.  They  fear  that  if  the  medical  work  of  the  mission  is  to  be 
subjected  to  the  purely  scientific  standards  of  the  Foundation, 
the  evangelistic  interest  will  suffer.  If  they  must  choose  between 
a good  doctor  who  is  a poor  Christian,  and  a good  Christian 
who  is  a poor  doctor,  they  believe  that  it  is  our  duty  as  Chris- 
tians to  choose  the  good  Christian — that  is  to  say,  for  the 
Chinese. 

Of  the  two  policies  thus  contrasted,  the  future  is  manifestly 
with  the  former.  The  leaders  of  the  missionary  cause  are  com- 
mitted to  it,  and  it  has  the  support  of  the  wisest  and  most  far- 
sighted  of  the  missionaries  on  the  field.  Important  as  evangeliza- 
tion may  be,  we  realize  that  it  is  but  one  step  in  a more  com- 
prehensive social  programme.  We  must  apply  the  principles  of 
Christianity  to  all  phases  of  human  life,  and  this  means  that 
we  must  regard  no  form  of  helpful  service  as  alien  to  the  cause 
of  missions. 

But  when  we  have  said  this,  we  are  only  at  the  beginning  of 


34 


our  problem.  Granting  that  we  ought  to  take  up  medical  work 
for  its  own  sake,  how  far  ought  we  to  carry  it?  Shall  we  con- 
fine our  w^ork  to  healing,  or  shall  we  enter  the  field  of  medical 
education  ? Shall  we  be  content  to  teach  what  is  already  known, 
or  shall  we  try  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  medical  knowledge  ? 
Shall  we  concentrate  our  forces  on  a few  strong  institutions  of 
high  grade,  or  shall  we  distribute  our  doctors  over  the  widest 
possible  field,  with  the  consequent  loss  of  efficiency  to  the 
individual  ? 

An  example  in  point  is  that  of  a well  known  physician  in  a 
Chinese  city — who  has  just  been  called  to  Tsinanfu  to  take 
part  in  the  proposed  reorganization  of  the  medical  school 
there,  which  in  turn  is  part  of  a larger  plan  of  cooperation 
with  the  Rockefeller  Foundation.  He  is  at  the  head  of  a fine 
hospital  of  his  own,  and  is  doing  a most  excellent  work  in 
congenial  surroundings.  He  has  a personal  influence  as  a 
result  of  long  residence,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  transfer 
to  a successor.  On  the  other  hand,  he  misses  the  contact  with 
other  surgeons  of  eminence  and  has  little  time  for  independent 
research  along  the  line  of  his  profession.  Will  he  help  the  cause 
of  missions  most  by  staying  where  he  is  and  accepting  the  limi- 
tations of  his  position,  for  the  sake  of  its  opportunities  of  per- 
sonal influence,  or  will  he  do  more  good  by  helping  to  build  up 
a strong  central  institution  of  the  highest  scientific  standing, 
from  which  in  time  Christian  physicians  can  be  sent  forth  to 
multiply  just  such  centres  as  that  of  which  he  is  now  the 
head? 

What  I have  given  is  a personal  case,  but  it  illustrates  a 
problem  which  meets  us  everywhere  on  the  foreign  field — the 
problem  of  centralization  or  distribution.  Shall  we  do  more 
good  in  the  long  run  by  covering  the  widest  possible  territory 
in  a superficial  way,  or  by  concentrating  our  energies  in  certain 
selected  strategic  points,  from  which  in  time  the  wider  work 
of  evangelization  can  be  carried  out? 

While  all  intelligent  students  of  the  missionary  problem  recog- 
nize that  there  is  room  for  both  kinds  of  work — the  extensive 
and  the  intensive,  and  that  a wise  policy  will  include  both,  I 
found  a disposition  among  those  with  whom  I talked  to  recognize 
that  on  the  whole  the  work  of  extension  has  been  overdone  and 
that  the  most  pressing  need  for  the  present  is  of  greater  con- 
centration, in  the  interest  of  higher  standards. 


35 


(2)  Institutions  Under  Direct  Missionary  Control 

To  return  from  this  digression  to  the  question  raised  a moment 
ago  as  to  the  true  educational  policy  to  be  followed  with  refer- 
ence to  institutions  of  higher  learning.  It  is  doubtless  impossible 
to  give  any  single  answer  which  will  be  applicable  everywhere. 
In  some  fields  such  as  China  it  will  undoubtedly  be  the  case  that 
for  a long  time  to  come  there  will  be  need  of  independent  mis- 
sionary institutions  of  high  grade.  If  the  church  does  not 
supply  the  need  there  will  be  no  one  else  to  do  so.  In  countries 
like  Japan  and  in  the  Latin  American  countries,  however,  where 
there  is  already  an  effective  educational  system,  cooperation 
rather  than  competition  would  seem  to  be  the  wise  policy.  At 
most  the  question  arises  whether  there  is  room  in  great  centres 
like  Tokyo  or  Buenos  Aires  for  some  strong  Christian  insti- 
tution of  university  grade  to  which  the  graduates  of  Christian 
colleges  may  be  sent  for  higher  training  under  Christian  aus- 
pices. The  establishment  of  such  institutions  is  strongly  advo- 
cated by  many  missionary  leaders,  and  there  is  much  to  be  said 
for  it  if  it  can  be  done  in  an  effective  way.  But  for  this  it  is 
necessary  to  gain  the  cooperation  of  all  the  Christian  forces, 
and  this  for  reasons  already  explained,  is  not  an  easy  matter. 
The  plans  for  a Christian  university  in  Tokyo  seem  likely  to 
be  abandoned  because  of  the  impossibility  of  securing  this  co- 
operation, and  at  the  time  of  this  writing  the  plans  for  the  much 
needed  women’s  college  in  the  same  city  are  hanging  fire  for  a 
similar  reason. 

The  difficulty  of  running  an  interdenominational  institution 
of  higher  grade  is  not  simply  the  preliminary  difficulty  of  secur- 
ing the  consent  of  all  the  elements  whose  cooperation  is  neces- 
sary, and  in  adjusting  the  difficulties  created  by  the  existence 
of  independent  organizations  occupying  a part  of  the  field,  but 
also  that  of  devising  an  organization  which  shall  at  once  safe- 
guard the  rights  of  the  different  denominations  and  at  the 
same  time  have  the  flexibility  and  initiative  necessary  for  suc- 
cessful administration.  For  this  reason  it  will  doubtless  be  wise 
not  to  attempt  permanently  to  control  such  institutions 
through  the  home  boards,  but  to  create  independent  boards  of 
trustees  such  as  those  of  the  great  colleges  of  the  nearer  East, 
Robert  College,  the  Syrian  Protestant  College,  and  Constan- 
tinople College. 


36 


On  one  point  all  are  agreed,  that  if  Christians  are  to  under- 
take higher  education  it  must  be  done  effectively.  To  run  a 
second  rate  college  or  school  and  call  it  a university  is  as  bad 
morals  as  it  is  poor  pedagogy,  and  this  is  just  as  true  in  China 
as  it  is  in  Illinois. 

On  the  whole  I was  much  impressed  with  what  I saw  of  the 
Christian  colleges,  both  in  China  and  in  Japan.  Such  insti- 
tutions as  St.  John’s  at  Shanghai,  the  Methodist  College  at 
Soochow;  the  Kwansei  Gakuin  at  Kobe;  the  College  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  at  Sendai,  to  mention  only  a few  at 
random  out  of  a much  larger  number,  are  doing  an  admirable 
work  and  exercising  a character-forming  influence  of  the  greatest 
value. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  missionary  colleges  is  their  use 
of  athletics  as  a means  of  moral  discipline.  Nothing  has  proved 
a more  effective  counterpoise  to  the  extreme  individualism  that 
has  hitherto  characterized  Chinese  education  than  baseball ; and 
I still  recall  with  interest  a memorable  contest  in  the  grounds 
of  the  Kwansei  Gakuin  in  Kobe,  in  which  a visiting  Chinese 
team  from  Shanghai  demonstrated  to  their  Japanese  rivals  that 
in  baseball  at  least  China  could  hold  the  field  against  all  comers. 

When  one  passes  from  the  higher  education  in  the  various 
forms  in  which  I have  referred  to  it  to  secondary  education 
there  remains  a wide  field  to  be  occupied  by  the  missions  for 
generations  to  come.  For  character-forming  work  there  is 
nothing  like  the  daily  contacts  with  children  in  the  schools,  and 
the  work  that  is  being  done  here  by  our  missionaries  is  of  the 
highest  value. 

(3)  Methods  of  Cooperation  with  Non-Christian  Institutions 

Second  only  in  importance  to  the  direct  work  of  missions  for 
education  is  the  indirect  influence  which  may  be  exerted 
through  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  or  other  similar 
agencies  upon  the  lives  of  the  students  in  the  government,  or 
other  non-Christian  institutions.  Neither  in  Japan  nor  in  the 
Latin  American  countries  is  any  adequate  provision  made  for 
the  moral  and  religious  needs  of  the  large  bodies  of  students 
who  attend  them.  There  is  no  dormitory  system  corresponding 
to  that  in  our  American  colleges,  and  apart  from  individual 
professors  who  may  invite  students  to  their  homes  the  Faculty 


37 


feels  no  responsibility  for  the  life  of  the  student  body  outside 
the  classroom.  When  one  adds  that  in  Japan  specialization 
is  carried  to  a point  greater  even  than  in  the  German  univer- 
sities, so  that  the  student  of  science  has  no  provision  made  for 
instruction  in  the  humanities,  and  vice  versa,  one  is  not  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  prevailing  atmosphere  among  university 
students  is  one  of  materialism  and  scepticism.  This  is  recog- 
nized by  thoughtful  Japanese  educators  who  deplore  it,  but 
who  have  not  yet  devised  any  effective  way  to  cope  with  it. 
The  opportunity  therefore  of  the  Christian  church  to  enter  the 
unoccupied  field  is  correspondingly  great. 

There  are  various  things  which  can  be  done  and  are  being 
done  to  meet  the  situation.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  Tokyo  is  just  opening  a new  building  for  its  col- 
lege branch  with  excellent  living  rooms  and  gymnasium.  The 
Baptists  have  assigned  Professor  Benninghoff  to  student  work  in 
Waseda  University,  and  opened  near  his  home  a dormitory 
which  accommodates  a number  of  students.  A dormitory  has 
been  conducted  with  success  by  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  at  Buenos  Aires.  In  Shanghai  the  Christian  Sunday 
Service  League  conducts  special  services  for  college  graduates 
who  understand  English.  Under  Mr.  Hurrey  the  World’s  Stu- 
dent Christian  Federation  has  set  apart  special  workers  to 
meet  foreign  students  coming  to  America  and  bring  them  into 
touch  with  the  best  influences  in  our  national  life.  Miss  Ruth 
Rouse  of  the  English  branch  of  the  same  movement  has  been 
visiting  Latin  America  in  the  interest  of  the  women  students  in 
that  large  and  hitherto  almost  untouched  field,  and  her  report 
will  doubtless  result  in  the  beginning  of  work  for  them. 

IP  I 

(4)  The  Education  of  Women 

This  reference  to  Miss  Rouse  suggests  a phase  of  the  educa- 
tional problem  which  is  every  year  acquiring  more  importance, 
and  that  is  the  education  of  women.  No  subject  in  connection 
with  the  modem  missionary  enterprise  is  more  important  and 
more  difficult,  and  this  is  true  of  each  of  the  countries  which  I 
visited. 

The  reason  lies  in  the  social  situation.  An  intelligent  Japa- 
nese lady  recently  returned  home  after  an  extended  visit  in 
the  United  States,  and  when  asked  of  her  experiences,  re- 


38 


marked  that  it  was  a good  thing  to  get  back  to  a country  where 
women  occupied  their  rightful  place.  “ So  far  as  I can  see/' 
she  said,  “ the  men  occupy  the  same  position  in  America  that 
the  women  do  in  Japan.”  She  was  referring  of  course  to  the 
prominence  given  to  women  in  American  society,  their  initiative 
and  leadership  in  comparison  with  the  retired  life  lived  by  well- 
bred  Japanese  women.  In  Japan  there  has  been  until  recently 
a much  greater  separation  of  the  sexes  than  is  the  case  with 
us.  The  free  intermingling  of  men  and  women  in  society  has 
not  been  considered  good  taste.  Marriages  are  arranged  through 
a go-between,  and  the  young  people  see  little  of  each  other  till 
the  wedding.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  education  given  the  majority  of  Japanese  women  is  of 
the  most  elementary  kind. 

But  here  again  conditions  are  rapidly  changing.  The  new 
movement  which  is  affecting  so  many  other  phases  of  Japanese 
social  life  is  having  its  effect  upon  the  position  of  women,  and 
will  do  so  increasingly  in  the  years  to  come.  The  higher  educa- 
tion is  being  opened  to  women.  The  old  isolation  is  giving 
place  to  freer  contact.  The  new  opportunities,  as  always,  bring 
their  dangers.  There  is  a lack  of  balance  and  restraint  on  the 
part  of  those  who  are  having  their  first  taste  of  freedom,  which 
is  particularly  offensive  to  Japanese  feeling.  To  meet  this 
situation  and  guard  against  these  dangers  there  is  need  of  a 
wise  education  under  Christian  auspices.  This  is  necessary  not 
only  for  the  sake  of  the  individual  woman  and  girl,  but  for  the 
sake  of  the  family.  For  Unless  we  can  raise  up  a company  of 
intelligent  Christian  women  to  be  wives  of  the  men  who  are 
accepting  Christianity  we  cannot  have  the  Christian  family 
with  all  that  that  means.  Such  a college  as  that  at  Kobe  which, 
under  the  presidency  of  Miss  De  Forest,  is  training  the  daugh- 
ters of  well  to  do  and  respectable  Japanese  to  be  Christian  wives 
and  mothers,  is  doing  work  whose  importance  it  is  difficult  to 
estimate  too  highly. 

But  there  is  another  class  of  Japanese  women  whose  need  of 
Christian  education  also  requires  consideration,  and  that  is 
those  who  must  practice  self-support.  The  entrance  of  women 
into  industry,  of  which  I shall  speak  in  a moment,  is  raising 
many  new  and  important  problems  with  which  the  thoughtful 
women  of  Japan  are  beginning  to  concern  themselves.  And  in 
the  solution  of  these,  too,  Christian  women  must  be  prepared 


39 


to  take  their  part.  Besides  such  institutions  as  the  college  at 
Kobe  there  would  seem  to  be  room  for  a strong  central  insti- 
tution of  the  highest  grade  at  Tokyo,  which  should  serve  as  a 
centre  for  the  higher  education  of  women  for  Japan  as  a whole, 
and  from  which  leaders  might  go  forth  able  to  bear  their  part 
intelligently  in  dealing  with  the  perplexing  social,  economic 
and  moral  problems  which  are  already  beginning  to  confront 
the  women  of  the  new  Japan. 

What  is  true  of  Japan  is  even  more  true  of  China  to-day. 
Here  too  the  education  of  women  is  the  key  to  all  effec- 
tive social  progress.  And  here  we  face  in  accentuated  form  the 
difficulty  which  results  from  centuries  of  segregation.  It  is 
hard  for  us  in  America  to  conceive  even  in  imagination  a state 
of  society  in  which  there  is  no  social  intercourse  between  the 
sexes,  in  which  concubinage  is  still  a recognized  social  custom, 
and  in  which  the  exposure  of  female  infants  is  still  widely 
practised.  To  change  this  state  of  things  it  is  not  enough  to 
convert  the  men.  We  must  change  the  women  also,  and  this  can 
only  be  done  through  a process  of  education  which  will  take 
generations,  if  not  centuries. 

Consider  the  difficulty  which  the  present  situation  presents  to 
the  Christian  minister.  How  can  there  be  effective  preaching 
without  pastoral  work,  and  how  can  there  be  pastoral  work 
when  there  is  no  home  into  which  one  can  go?  The  gulf  which 
exists  in  all  social  intercourse  extends  into  the  churches,  and  in 
China  the  women  sit  in  their  places  apart,  often  separated  from 
the  men  by  a screen. 

In  Korea  the  line  of  division  is  more  radical  still.  When 
I preached  in  Pyeng  Yang  I stood  in  a room  which  was  di- 
vided in  the  middle  by  a high  wall  which  reached  almost  to 
the  ceiling.  On  one  side  were  the  women,  and  on  the  other 
the  men.  Neither  could  see  the  other,  though  the  preacher  from 
his  central  platform  strategically  located  could  see  both. 

Yet  in  both  countries  conditions  are  changing,  and  there  is 
much  reason  for  encouragement.  The  women ’s  colleges  in  China 
have  more  applicants  than  they  can  accommodate,  and  what  is 
more  important,  the  new  type  of  graduate  finds  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  prospective  Chinese  husbands.  The  number  of  women 
who  are  unwilling  to  be  bought  and  sold  as  if  they  were  cattle 
increases  every  day,  and  the  number  of  men  who  prefer  wives 
who  marry  from  choice  is  growing  correspondingly.  Like  all 


40 


the  rest  of  the  world  China  has  her  new  woman,  and  I am  told 
that  no  one  follows  the  changes  in  the  political  situation  more 
eagerly  or  judges  them  more  intelligently  than  she. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  women’s  education  I wish  to 
say  in  conclusion  that  I brought  back  from  the  Far  East  an 
enhanced  sense  of  the  importance  of  the  work  done  by  the 
Young  Women’s  Christian  Association,  and  of  the  unparalleled 
opportunity  now  opening  before  it  in  China  and  Japan,  and  I 
may  add  Latin  America.  I am  speaking  within  limits  when  I 
say  that  of  all  the  opportunities  which  I saw,  and  of  all  the 
needs  of  which  I was  conscious,  that  of  the  Young  Women’s 
Christian  Association  most  impressed  me.  When  one  considers 
the  needs  of  such  countries  as  China  and  Japan  for  just  such 
work  as  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association  can  do  and  is 
doing,  and  reflects  how  few  the  workers  and  how  relatively 
small  the  investment  up  to  date,  one  cannot  resist  the  conviction 
that  a very  large  expansion  will  be  necessary  before  this  par- 
ticular branch  of  the  service  acquires  the  relative  strength  which 
its  importance  deserves. 


3 

The  Question  of  the  Native  Church 

Passing  from  these  general  questions  of  administrative  and 
educational  policy  to  the  more  specific  problems  which  confront 
Christian  missions  to-day  we  must  give  the  place  of  first  im- 
portance to  the  question  of  the  native  church.  This  is  recog- 
nized by  all  thoughtful  students  of  missions. 

(1)  The  Relation  of  the  Missionary  to  the  Native  Church 

In  his  recent  book,  “ The  World  and  the  Gospel,”  Mr. 
Oldham  points  out  the  contrast  between  the  attitude  of  the  older 
missionaries  who  were  content  to  evangelize  individuals,  and 
that  of  the  modem  church  which  recognizes  its  responsibility 
for  the  planting  of  Christian  institutions  in  each  non-Christian 
country,  with  the  expectation  that  the  native  church  will  in 
turn  become  the  most  successful  evangelizing  agency.  The 
primary  aim  of  foreign  missionary  work,  he  tells  us,  is  not  to 
convert  individuals  but  “ to  plant  the  church  of  Christ  in 


41 


every  part  of  the  non-Christian  world,  as  a means  to  its  evan- 
gelization ” (p.  141). 

This  is  not  because  we  feel  any  less  strongly  than  the  older 
missionaries  the  importance  of  evangelization,  but  because  we 
have  come  to  understand  better  the  magnitude  of  the  task,  and 
the  conditions  which  are  necessary  for  its  realization.  To  Chris- 
tianize the  world  it  is  not  enough  to  preach  the  Gospel.  We 
must  raise  up  a native  ministry,  create  a Christian  literature  in 
the  vernacular;  plant  institutions  which  shall  have  for  each  of 
the  countries  in  which  they  are  established  the  same  power  of 
self  propagation  which  is  characteristic  of  the  churches  of  the 
home  land. 

This  is  a work  which  cannot  be  done  by  foreigners.  They  may 
lay  the  foundation,  but  the  building  itself  must  be  the  work 
of  native  Christians  interpreting  Christianity  to  their  fellow- 
countrymen  in  terms  of  their  own  speech  and  habits  of  thought. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  encouraging  features  of  the  present  situa- 
tion that  this  is  so  generally  recognized  by  missionaries,  and 
that  the  progress  of  the  mission  cause  is  being  more  and  more 
judged  by  this  standard. 

What  then  does  it  mean  to  create  a native  church?  Clearly 
not  simply  to  gather  congregations  of  native  Christians  and 
to  raise  up  a native  ministry  to  preach  to  them.  It  means  to 
bring  into  existence  in  each  country  of  the  world  a Christian 
community  with  an  independent  self-consciousness,  self-support- 
ing, self-governing  and  self-propagating. 

When  we  apply  this  test  to  the  different  countries  which  I 
visited  we  find  widely  different  conditions.  In  Japan  such  a 
church  is  already  in  existence.  In  China  it  is  still  to  be  created. 
In  Korea  we  have  self-support  and  self-propagation,  but  self- 
government  only  in  name.  In  Latin  America  whose  Protestant- 
ism is  still  of  comparatively  recent  date,  we  find  the  beginnings 
of  an  independent  church  in  Brazil,  but  in  other  Latin  Ameri- 
can countries  the  leadership  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  so 
far  as  Protestantism  is  concerned,  is  still  almost  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  foreigners. 

(2)  The  Church  of  Japan 

I have  already  spoken  of  the  position  of  the  native  church  in 
Japan.  Here  we  find  all  four  of  the  conditions  of  which  I have 


42 


spoken  largely  realized : independent  self-consciousness,  self-sup- 
port, self-government,  self-propagation.  The  position  of  the 
missionary  body  is  for  the  most  part  advisory.  Both  in  matters 
of  education  and  of  evangelization  the  leadership  is  more  and 
more  passing  into  the  hands  of  Japanese  Christians  and,  if  all 
the  missionaries  were  to  leave  Japan  to-morrow,  one  could  feel 
sure  that  the  work  of  Christ  would  go  on. 

This  does  not  mean  that  missionaries  are  not  needed  and  are 
not  still  welcome,  but  only  that  their  work  must  be  of  a different 
kind.  As  mediators  between  the  rising  Japanese  church  and 
the  older  churches  into  whose  fellowship  they  are  entering,  the 
missionary^  body  has  a place  which  the  Japanese  themselves 
recognize  that  no  one  else  can  fill.  Such  men  as  Dr.  Wainright, 
Dr.  Dearing,  Mr.  Fisher  and  many  others  who  could  be  named, 
exercise  an  influence  on  the  leaders  of  the  native  church  which 
is  not  less  far-reaching  because  unofficial.  Moreover,  the  Japanese 
church  is  poor,  and  in  spite  of  the  generosity  of  its  members  is 
unable  as  yet  to  finance  many  of  the  enterprises  which  contribute 
so  much  to  the  success  of  the  Christian  cause  at  home.  The 
Young  Men’s  and  Young  Women’s  Christian  Associations,  the 
Christian  Literature  Society,  and  the  various  educational  enter- 
prises to  which  we  have  already  referred,  rely  largely  for  their 
support  upon  the  church  of  the  West,  and  must  continue  to  do 
so  for  years  to  come.  In  all  of  them  we  see  Japanese  and 
foreigners  working  together  in  harmony. 

It  is  true  that  this  dual  relationship  raises  questions  of 
adjustment  which  call  for  patience  and  tact.  For  the  younger 
men  especially  the  delay  and  waste  which  are  involved  in  work- 
ing through  Japanese  when  it  would  be  easier  and  quicker  to 
act  independently,  are  often  irksome.  As  one  of  the  secretaries 
of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  expressed  it  to  me, 
“ I long  for  a job  into  which  a man  can  throw  his  entire  self.” 
But  the  limitations  are  a necessary  condition  of  a period  of 
transition,  and  the  man  who  is  willing  to  put  up  with  them 
patiently  and  with  good  humor  till  by  patient  study  of  some 
particular  phase  of  the  Japanese  problem  he  makes  himself  a 
master  Avhose  opinion  his  native  fellow  workers  must  respect,  will 
in  the  end  have  his  reward. 

A striking  example  of  the  vitality  of  the  Japanese  church  is 
the  nation-wide  evangelistic  campaign  which  is  now  being  car- 
ried on  under  its  auspices.  In  this  campaign,  which  is  now 


43 


in  its  second  year  and  which  is  to  continue  through  next  year, 
all  the  churches  are  cooperating,  and  excellent  results  are  being 
gained,  not  only  in  direct  conversions,  but  in  the  education  of 
the  churches  in  common  action  and  in  the  reinforcement  of 
their  consciousness  of  a common  Christianity. 

For  Japan,  as  for  us  at  home,  the  problem  of  the  country 
church  is  most  perplexing.  As  yet  the  country  districts  have 
been  little  touched  by  Christianity,  and  even  the  present  evan- 
gelistic campaign  has  been  confined  largely  to  the  cities.  In 
the  villages  and  small  towns,  where  the  community  is  con- 
servative, and  the  entire  environment  hostile,  the  Japanese 
worker  faces  difficulties  which  are  not  felt  to  the  same  extent 
by  the  foreigner.  It  has  been  suggested  therefore  by  some 
Japanese  that  the  missionaries  give  a greater  proportion  of 
their  time  to  evangelization,  leaving  the  work  in  the  greater 
centres  where  Christianity  is  already  strongly  established,  more 
largely  in  the  hands  of  the  Japanese. 

(3)  The  Situation  in  Korea  and  in  China 

In  Korea  we  find  a very  interesting  situation.  Here  we  have 
a strong  native  church  carrying  on  an  energetic  and  successful 
evangelistic  campaign,  but  a church  in  which  the  leadership  is 
still  almost  entirely  in  missionary  hands,  and  where,  as  already 
explained,  the  underlying  philosophy  has  been  very  different 
from  that  just  described  in  Japan.  The  policy  of  the  mission- 
aries has  been  to  emphasize,  so  far  as  possible,  the  separation 
between  the  church  and  the  world,  a policy  easy  in  Korea 
hitherto  because  of  the  fact  that  in  Korea  there  is  no  active 
religion  in  competition  with  Christianity,  and  that  the  insti- 
tutions of  the  government  have  been  lamentably  weak.  Now, 
however,  with  the  advent  of  the  Japanese  an  entirely  new  state 
of  things  has  come  about.  The  same  influences  which  have  led 
to  the  emancipation  of  the  native  church  in  Japan  are  beginning 
to  operate  in  Korea,  and  wise  missionaries  like  Dr.  Gale  in 
Seoul  see  that  a change  of  policy  is  essential  if  serious  danger 
is  to  be  avoided.  The  next  ten  years  will  be  critical  years  for 
the  church  of  Korea,  and  upon  the  ability  of  the  boards  to 
carry  through  successfully  the  policy  already  referred  to,  of 
establishing  a strong  Christian  centre  in  Seoul,  in  which  leaders 
can  be  trained  who  will  guide  the  Korean  church  through  its 
period  of  transition,  success  or  failure  will  depend. 


44 


Most  critical  of  all  is  the  situation  in  China.  Here  I must 
confess  to-  disappointment.  When  one  remembers  how  long 
Protestant  missions  have  been  at  work  in  China,  how  many  and 
how  able  the  missionaries,  how  great  the  influence  of  Christi- 
anity upon  many  phases  of  Chinese  thought  and  life,  it  is  dis- 
couraging to  find  the  Chinese  church  still  so  weak,  and  to  see 
the  contrast  between  it  and  the  Japanese  church  in  independence 
and  efficiency. 

The  cause  of  this  state  of  things  is  complex.  Partly  it  is  due 
to  the  Chinese  character  which  has  been  accustomed  for  genera- 
tions to  accept  without  question  the  leadership  of  superiors ; but 
in  part  also  it  is  the  result  of  a mistaken  policy  on  the  part 
of  the  missionaries.  Until  recently  they  have  kept  control  of 
all  matters  in  their  own  hands,  and  only  within  the  last  few 
years  have  they  come  to  realize  the  importance  of  divesting 
themselves  of  some  part  at  least  of  the  authority  which  is 
now  theirs. 

This  attitude  on  their  part  is  due  in  part  to  causes  which  wrere 
unavoidable.  When  the  missionaries  first  came  to  China  they 
had  to  establish  such  points  of  contact  as  they  could,  and  these 
were  naturally  among  the  more  ignorant  and  undeveloped  sec- 
tions of  the  population.  Thus  naturally  the  missionary  stepped 
into  a position  of  leadership  which  he  has  retained  ever  since. 
When  his  converts  were  poor  he  had  to  help  them;  when  they 
were  persecuted  he  had  to  protect  them;  when  a church  was 
to  be  organized,  it  was  along  the  lines  which  he  prescribed.  The 
familiar  charge  that  the  Chinese  Christians  are  rice  Christians 
is  the  reflection  of  this  early  situation.  Grossly  unjust  in  its 
main  contention  it  yet  contains  an  element  of  truth.  Not  a few 
Chinese,  impressed  by  the  superior  power  and  influence  of 
the  foreigners,  entered  the  Christian  church  from  selfish  motives, 
a practice  which  was  encouraged  by  the  preference  given  to 
professing  Christians  in  some  of  the  mission  schools  in  the 
assignment  of  financial  aid. 

The  result  of  this  state  of  things  was  reflected  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  native  ministry.  Men  entered  the  ministry,  as 
at  one  time  they  used  to  enter  it  at  home,  because  it  was  the 
line  of  least  resistance.  They  learned  their  lessons  by  rote 
as  they  had  been  taught  to  do  in  the  Chinese  schools.  They 
brought  to  their  work  little  independence  or  initiative  and 
when  they  went  out  to  preach  were  content  to  repeat  the  doc- 


45 


trines  which  they  had  been  taught,  believing  that  when  they 
had  done  this  they  had  done  their  full  duty. 

Nothing  impressed  me  more  in  passing  from  China  to  Japan 
than  the  contrast  in  the  standards  of  theological  education.  The 
state  of  the  theological  seminaries  is  a good  indication  of  the 
spiritual  and  intellectual  standards  of  the  church,  and  judged 
by  this  test,  the  schools  of  China  leave  much  to  be  desired.  In 
their  standards  of  requirement  they  are  at  least  a generation 
behind  the  schools  of  Japan.  Many  of  them  are  really  Bible 
schools  rather  than  theological  seminaries,  as  we  understand  the 
term.  Men  are  admitted  with  little  preliminary  training,  and 
even  in  schools  of  higher  grade  the  course  is  necessarily  of  a 
very  elementary  character. 

Fortunately  things  are  changing  for  the  better.  Among  the 
men  who  are  giving  themselves  to  the  work  of  theological  educa- 
tion in  China  are  some  of  the  finest  and  best  equipped  men  I 
know.  They  see  clearly  the  difficulties  and  are  working  intel- 
ligently to  correct  them,  and  if  they  can  receive  adequate  sup- 
port from  the  church  at  home  we  shall  see,  if  I mistake  not, 
marked  progress  in  the  next  few  years. 

For  the  point  to  be  insisted  upon  is  the  fact  that  there  is 
material  for  Christian  leadership  in  China  if  only  we  can  dis- 
cover it  and  when  discovered,  properly  utilize  it. 

Nowhere  on  my  trip  did  I meet  personalities  who  impressed 
me  more  than  some  of  the  Chinese  Christians.  Men  like  C.  T. 
Wang,  C.  Y.  Cheng,  David  Yui,  and  Chang  Po  Ling,  are  the 
peers  of  any  men  anywhere,  but  it  is  only  in  recent  years 
that  such  men  have  been  given  the  recognition  which  their 
abilities  deserve.  Fortunately  a better  day  is  dawning. 
The  weakness  of  the  present  system  is  being  generally  recog- 
nized, and  steps  are  being  taken  to  correct  it.  The  system  of 
financial  aid  to  prospective  candidates  is  being  revised  so  as 
to  discourage  the  insincere  professor  of  Christianity.  Important 
positions  are  being  filled  by  Chinese,  and  their  counsel  sought 
in  matters  of  missionary  policy.  The  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  has  taken  the  lead  in  this  matter.  Its  general  secre- 
tary in  Shanghai  is  a Chinese,  and  Chinese  occupy  respon- 
sible positions  in  its  work  in  other  cities.  A Chinese  is  as- 
sociated with  Mr.  Lobenstine  as  his  first  assistant  in  the  Con- 
tinuation Committee.  On  the  Board  of  Managers  of  Nanking 
University  are  representative  Chinese.  These  men  and  others 


46 


like  them  who  could  be  named  are  bringing  to  the  work  of 
Christian  missions  in  China  a devotion  and  insight  which  will 
bear  large  fruit  in  the  future. 

It  was  interesting  to  get  the  opinion  of  the  Chinese  as  to  the 
reason  for  the  failure  of  more  able  and  intelligent  Chinese 
to  enter  the  ministry.  All  those  with  whom  I talked  agreed 
that  one  of  the  reasons  was  that  the  position  of  the  native 
pastor  had  not  been  given  sufficient  dignity  to  attract  men  of 
independence  and  force.  The  situation  is  not  unlike  that  which 
we  faced  in  this  country  a few  years  ago  when  the  competition 
of  other  professions  threatened  to  rob  our  seminaries  of  the 
best  of  their  candidates.  It  is  not  that  the  Chinese  expects  that 
the  salary  scale  shall  be  the  same  in  his  case  as  in  that  of  the 
foreigner.  He  recognizes  the  difference  in  the  standard  of 
living  and  is  quite  prepared  to  be  content  with  a smaller  salary. 
But  there  are  elements  in  the  life  of  the  missionary  which  he 
feels  ought  to  be  found  also  in  his  own.  Every  few  years  the 
missionary  has  a furlough  in  which  he  can  go  home  and  refresh 
himself  by  contact  with  new  scenes  and  home  conditions.  He 
has  funds  which  he  can  spend  for  books;  he  has  opportunities 
of  contact  and  of  inspiration.  All  these  things  are  lacking 
in  the  life  of  the  native  pastor,  and  until  in  some  way  we  can 
provide  their  equivalent  we  shall  continue  to  face  this  difficulty. 

But  after  all,  the  key  to  the  situation  must  lie  with  the  Chinese 
themselves.  It  is  not  the  missionaries  in  Japan  who  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  Japanese  native  church,  but  the  Japanese.  It 
will  be  so  in  China.  The  one  strong  independent  church  of 
which  I learned  is  in  Tientsin,  and  the  explanation  of  its  ex- 
istence there  is  the  personality  of  one  man,  Chang  Po  Ling. 
The  hope  of  China  lies  in  the  fact  that  other  Chinese  are 
arising  who  with  him  feel  that  the  future  of  China  depends  on 
the  development  of  a strong  native  church.  The  greatest  service 
that  the  missionary  body  can  render  China  is  to  cooperate  with 
these  men  in  the  realization  of  their  ideal. 

(4)  Conditions  in  Latin  America 

In  Latin  America  the  difficulty  of  creating  a strong  native 
church  as  Protestants  understand  it,  is  complicated  by  the 
presence  of  an  older  and  as  we  believe  corrupt  form  of  Chris- 
tianity. With  every  disposition  to  recognize  the  good  in  Roman 


47 


Catholicism  and  the  desire  to  cooperate  with  its  representatives 
as  far  as  possible,  we  find  that  conditions  are  such  as  to  make 
such  cooperation  impossible  in  fact.  In  their  reaction  from 
the  abuses  of  the  Roman  church,  the  tendency  of  the  native 
Protestant  pastors  is  to  take  refuge  in  a highly  individualistic 
type  of  Christianity  and  to  make  the  line  of  demarcation  be- 
tween the  church  and  the  world  as  sharp  as  possible.  This  is 
notably  true  in  Brazil  where  alone  among  the  Latin  American 
countries  we  find  a strong  Protestant  church  under  native 
leadership.  The  type  of  Christianity  represented  by  the 
leaders  of  this  church  is  highly  conservative,  and  the  social 
emphasis  so  characteristic  of  our  modern  Protestantism  is 
conspicuous  by  its  absence.  The  difficulty  is  accentuated  by 
the  fact  that  in  Latin  America  we  have  no  homogeneous  society 
such  as  that  from  which  our  northern  Protestant  churches  were 
recruited,  but  widely  separated  classes  of  very  different  intel- 
lectual and  social  background  requiring  a different  type  of 
religious  approach.  Under  the  circumstances  the  conduct  of 
Protestant  missions  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  foreigners,  and 
conditions,  so  far  as  the  native  church  is  concerned,  approxi- 
mate those  on  the  foreign  field.  There  is  doubtless  no  immediate 
remedy  for  this  situation.  A change  must  come  gradually  as 
the  result  of  social  and  economic  as  well  as  moral  and  religious 
influences.  In  the  meantime  we  face  the  difficulty  that  when, 
through  the  Young  Men’s  or  Young  Women’s  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, we  succeed  in  getting  in  touch  with  some  of  the  more 
thoughtful  of  the  student  body  and  interesting  them  in  the 
matter  of  personal  religion,  there  is  often  no  Protestant  church 
accessible  in  which  they  can  find  a congenial  spiritual  home. 

Under  these  circumstances  many  Latin  American  missionaries 
advocate  a policy  of  greater  centralization  than  has  hitherto 
obtained  in  our  Protestant  work.  Since  ultimate  success  will 
depend  upon  our  ability  to  raise  up  strong  native  leaders  the 
wise  thing  would  seem  to  be  to  concentrate  our  energies  upon 
those  centres  which  promise  greatest  results  along  this  line. 
Face  to  face  with  a great  church  like  that  of  Rome,  the  presence 
of  a number  of  groups  of  Protestants  working  in  comparative 
isolation  cannot  but  produce  an  unfavorable  impression,  and 
the  argument  for  cooperation  and  centralization — everywhere 
strong  in  the  foreign  field — is  here  overwhelming. 


48 


4 

The  Attitude  of  Christians  to  the  Non-Christian 
Environment 

Our  discussion  of  the  native  church  suggests  naturally  the 
closely  related  question  as  to  the  proper  attitude  of  Christians 
to  their  non-Christian  environment.  We  have  already  had 
occasion  to  touch  on  this  question  indirectly,  hut  it  deserves 
fuller  consideration. 

There  are  three  phases  of  the  contact  between  the  Christian 
community  and  its  non-Christian  environment  which  present 
perplexing  problems.  The  first  has  to  do  with  the  relation  of 
Christianity  to  the  older  religious  faiths  which  are  its  rivals. 
The  second  is  concerned  with  the  responsibility  of  Christians 
for  social  and  economic  reform;  the  third  with  the  proper 
attitude  of  the  missionary  to  the  governments  under  which  he 
works. 

(1)  The  Attitude  of  Christians  to  the  Non-Christian  Religions 

As  to  the  first,  the  relation  of  the  Christian  community  to  the 
non-Christian  religions,  we  find  a marked  change  of  attitude  on 
the  part  of  the  missionary  body  in  recent  years.  Where  the 
attitude  of  the  older  missionaries  was  one  of  outspoken  opposi- 
tion and  often  uncompromising  denunciation,  the  disposition  to- 
day is  to  a more  sympathetic  attitude.  We  are  coming  to  see 
that  the  relation  of  the  older  faiths  to  Christianity  is  positive 
as  well  as  negative.  They  contain  elements  of  good  which  need 
to  be  conserved  and  which  make  them  in  part  at  least  a prepara- 
tion for  the  gospel.  The  attitude  which  Paul  took  to  the  Greek 
religion  of  his  own  day  is  one  which  is  more  and  more  com- 
mending itself  to  thoughtful  missionaries  as  a model  for  their 
own  treatment  of  the  ethnic  faiths. 

This  is  true  of  all  the  religions  to  which  I have  had  occasion 
to  refer.  It  is  notably  true  of  Confucianism.  No  thoughtful 
missionary  is  disposed  to  minimize  the  service  rendered  by  this 
great  faith  to  the  moral  discipline  of  the  Chinese  people.  More 
than  one  missionary  whom  I met  was  carrying  as  his  constant 
companion  the  Analects  of  Confucius,  and  found  in  them  many 
a fruitful  text  for  a Christian  sermon.  It  is  true  also  of 


49 


Buddhism,  with  its  insistence  upon  mercy  and  lovingkindness, 
its  sense  of  the  sanctity  of  all  life,  its  uncompromising  opposi- 
tion to  war,  its  catholicity  and  universalism.  It  is  true 
of  Shinto  with  its  reverence  for  the  past,  its  inculcation  of 
loyalty  and  self-sacrifice,  its  appeal  to  the  spirit  of  patriotism. 
In  all  of  these  we  find  elements  of  truth  which  Christians  should 
be  the  first  to  recognize,  and  in  which  they  may  find  points  of 
contact  for  their  own  distinctive  message. 

No  doubt  there  are  dangers  to  be  faced,  dangers  of  a too  easy 
acquiescence  in  customs  which,  however  innocent  in  themselves, 
carry  with  them  associations  which  are  misleading  and  danger- 
ous. The  example  of  Buddhism  which  in  its  willingness  to 
compromise  has  often  sacrificed  all  that  was  essential  in  its 
own  gospel,  is  ever  present  as  a warning  to  the  Christian 
preacher.  This  danger  is  felt  most  keenly  by  the  native  Chris- 
tians who  have  themselves  come  out  from  the  superstitions  of 
heathenism  and  who  are  suspicious  of  any  compromise  which 
seems  to  them  to  blur  the  line  of  demarcation  between  the  older 
and  the  newer  faith.  Bishop  Tucker  of  Kyoto,  one  of  the  wisest 
of  the  Japanese  missionary  leaders,  in  a conversation  which 
I had  with  him  some  months  ago,  gave  as  one  of  the  reasons 
why  the  missionaries  had  been  so  slow  in  undertaking  the 
intelligent  and  sympathetic  study  of  Buddhism  which  is  so 
much  needed  in  Japan,  the  fact  that  they  had  been  misled  by 
the  attitude  of  their  own  converts.  This  is  only  natural.  The 
burnt  child  dreads  the  fire.  For  a just  appreciation  of  the  non- 
Christian  religions  in  their  relation  to  Christianity  we  may 
expect  a more  impartial  judgment  from  the  Christian  scholar 
than  from  the  man  who  has  experienced  in  his  own  person  the 
limitations  and  weaknesses  of  the  native  religions. 

There  are  two  phases  of  the  adjustment  between  Christianity 
and  the  non-Christian  faiths  which  need  to  be  distinguished. 
There  is  the  adjustment  of  the  mind,  which  is  the  affair  of  the 
scholar,  and  the  practical  adjustment  which  concerns  the  pastor 
and  the  evangelist. 

There  is  a work,  in  the  first  place,  to  be  done  by  the  scholar. 
Before  we  can  hope  for  a satisfactory  adjustment  of  the  rela- 
tions between  Christianity  and  a great  rival  religion  like  Bud- 
dhism we  must  have  an  intelligent  and  painstaking  study  of  the 
facts  of  the  case.  Buddhism,  as  we  are  coming  to  understand 
more  and  more,  is  not  a single  unchangeable  phenomenon  which 


50 


can  be  defined  and  catalogued  once  for  all,  but  a living  religion, 
or  rather  a family  of  religions  which  includes  widely  different 
types  of  thought  and  life  and  is  in  constant  process  of  change. 
It  has  its  Catholicism  and  its  Protestantism,  its  mysticism  and 
its  social  reformers,  and  all  these  different  types  are  actually 
represented  in  a country  like  Japan.  To  understand  its  aims 
and  its  possibilities  a painstaking  study  is  necessary  not  only 
by  a single  scholar  but  by  a whole  company  of  scholars  working 
together  according  to  a definite  plan. 

What  is  true  of  Buddhism  is  true  to  a lesser  degree  of  all  the 
other  great  religions:  Confucianism,  Shinto,  Mohammedanism. 
So  far  as  they  are  living  they  are  changing,  and  to  understand 
them  it  is  necessary  not  only  to  be  acquainted  with  their  sacred 
books  and  the  forms  of  their  historic  past,  but  to  know  their 
living  representatives  and  enter  into  their  inmost  aspirations. 

It  was  a matter  of  great  interest  and  encouragement  to  me 
to  find  how  keenly  the  need  of  such  sympathetic  study  is  appre- 
ciated by  the  missionary  body,  and  how  many  missionaries  in 
spite  of  other  and  arduous  labors  are  giving  themselves  to 
this  work.  Men  like  Beischauer  in  Tokyo,  Armstrong  in  Kobe, 
Ogilvie  in  Peking,  Leighton  Stuart  at  Nanking,  Hodous  at 
Foochow,  are  only  outstanding  names  of  a larger  company. 

Such  sympathetic  study  of  the  non- Christian  religions  will 
have  a reflex  influence  upon  our  work  at  home.  It  will  shed 
light  upon  the  central  problem  of  theological  science,  that  of 
the  definition  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. What  is  it  which  differentiates  Christianity  from  all 
the  other  religions  ? What  gives  it  its  convicting  and  converting 
power  over  the  men  whom  it  draws  under  its  spell?  This  is  a 
question  which  it  is  hard  for  us  to  answer  impartially,  living 
as  we  do  in  the  environment  where  Christianity  has  been  at 
home  for  centuries  until  it  has  become  practically  synonymous 
for  many  of  us  with  all  that  we  know  as  religion.  But  on  the 
foreign  field  it  is  not  so.  Here  Christianity  meets  other  faiths  of 
hoary  antiquity,  and  men  who  have  known  vital  religion  in 
other  forms.  We  have  here  therefore  the  ideal  scene  for  the 
scientific  study  of  the  Christian  religion. 

I recall  with  particular  interest  an  evening  spent  at  Hwaiyuan 
with  a company  of  native  Christians  gathered  by  Mr.  Cochran 
for  informal  discussion  of  the  subject  of  religion.  The  con- 
versation turned  on  the  motives  which  had  led  to  their  conver- 


5i 


sion,  and  I was  impressed  by  their  variety.  To  one  man  it 
was  frankly  the  hope  of  material  betterment;  to  another,  the 
reaction  from  the  failure  of  an  effort  long  continued  to  attain 
Buddhahood ; to  a third  it  was  the  influence  of  the  unselfish  lives 
of  the  missionaries,  notably  their  work  in  healing  the  sick.  An 
old  boatman  dated  his  conversion  from  a sermon  on  the  flood 
which  he  said  he  could  verify  from  his  own  experience,  since 
he  too  had  lived  through  the  flood.  On  the  whole,  the  motives 
were  very  simple,  and  the  specific  reasons  which  fill  our  apolo- 
getic books  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  These  come  later  as 
a result  of  long  training  in  the  Christian  life  and  a deeper 
experience  of  the  meaning  of  religion. 

Equally  vivid  was  the  impression  produced  by  the  testimony 
of  a group  of  Japanese  Christians,  gathered  to  meet  me  by 
Dr.  Wainright,  of  the  Christian  Literature  Society.  Among 
those  present  were  five  or  six  of  the  leaders  of  the  Japanese 
church — men  of  great  force  of  character  and  independence  of 
judgment.  When  I led  the  conversation  to  the  reasons  for  their 
becoming  Christians,  I found  the  answers  were  of  two  kinds. 
For  the  older  men  the  motive  was  distinctly  religious — the 
satisfaction  which  Christianity  offered  to  the  heart  that  hun- 
gered for  personal  communion  by  its  revelation  of  the  Father 
God.  For  the  younger  men  the  motive  was  ethical — the  example 
of  Christian  lives  and  the  desire  for  service.  Dr.  Uyemura 
pointed  out  that  this  was  a natural  difference  between  the 
first  and  the  second  generations  of  Christians,  and  this  was 
confirmed  by  the  experience  of  the  western  Christians  who 
were  present.  To  the  second  generation  of  Christians  the  per- 
sonality of  God  is  taken  for  granted,  and  the  great  question  is 
of  His  purpose.  For  the  older  men  the  discovery  of  personality 
is  itself  the  satisfying  thing. 

Here  too  theological  considerations  in  the  technical  sense 
played  a small  role.  Indeed  when  one  pierces  below  the  surface 
to  the  motives  which  are  actually  used  in  religious  appeal,  one 
finds  the  differences  between  Christians  disappearing.  I asked 
a Southern  Presbyterian — very  conservative  in  her  theology — 
what  motive  she  used  in  her  appeal  to  non-Christians.  ‘ ‘ There 
are  just  two  things,  I find,”  she  said,  “ that  move  them — the 
example  of  brotherly  love  in  Christian  lives,  and  the  satisfac- 
tion which  Christ  gives  to  the  heart  that  is  longing  for  God.  ’ ’ 

This  does  not  mean,  of  course,  that  theology  is  unimportant, 


52 


but  only  that  our  theology  needs  restatement  in  the  light  of 
our  actual  experience.  As  a theological  teacher,  I believe  the 
foreign  field  has  a great  contribution  to  make  to  this  restate- 
ment, and  am  confident  that  the  time  will  come  when  no  theology 
can  claim  scientific  validity  which  does  not  utilize  in  its  for- 
mulation of  doctrine  the  material  which  is  furnished  for  it 
by  the  actual  conflict  of  Christianity  with  its  rivals  on  the 
mission  field. 

But  apart  from  this  intellectual  adjustment  there  are  prac- 
tical questions  to  be  settled  of  no  small  difficulty.  What  shall 
be  the  attitude  of  the  Christian  church  toward  the  customs 
and  practices  of  these  older  religions — customs  and  practices, 
many  of  them,  sanctified  by  ancestral  piety  and  patriotic  spirit. 
Such  a custom,  for  example,  as  the  decoration  of  the  graves  of 
the  ancestors  on  the  great  festival  of  Confucianism,  or  the 
burning  of  incense  to  the  spirits  of  the  departed  heroes  as 
practiced  by  Shinto.  Here  again  we  find  two  parties:  the 
stricter  and  the  more  tolerant,  and  it  is  not  always  easy  to 
decide  as  to  what  it  is  right  to  do. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  attitude  of  the  missionary 
body  in  Japan  toward  existing  religious  customs  is  one  of 
toleration,  if  not  of  sympathy.  The  declaration  of  the  govern- 
ment that  Shinto  is  to  be  understood  not  as  a religion,  but  as 
an  expression  of  national  custom  and  patriotism  has  been  taken 
at  its  face  value,  and  Christians  have  been  allowed  to  participate 
in  ceremonials  of  the  ancient  faith  which,  in  spite  of  this  dis- 
claimer, have  still  no  doubt  a religious  significance  for  many. 
In  China  on  the  whole  the  attitude  of  the  missionary  body  has 
been  more  uncompromising ; but  here  too  we  find  a disposition  to 
recognize  that  some  substitute  for  the  old  customs  must  be  pro- 
vided. Thus  I found  in  the  church  at  Hwaiyuan  a memorial 
tablet  just  inside  the  church  door,  on  which  were  inscribed  the 
names  of  those  Christians  who  had  died  during  the  year.  “We 
want  to  show  our  Chinese  Christians,  ’ ’ said  Mr.  Cochran,  ‘ ‘ that 
we  too  reverence  the  departed  and  honor  our  ancestors  as  truly 
as  the  Chinese.” 

(2)  The  Responsibility  of  the  Church  for  Social  and  Economic 

Reform 

A second  phase  of  the  question  as  to  the  proper  attitude  of 
Christians  to  their  non-Christian  environment  has  to  do  with 


53 


the  relation  of  the  missionary  body  to  contemporary  social  and 
industrial  problems.  This  is  a question  which  is  likely  to  demand 
increasing  attention  in  the  near  future.  I have  spoken  of 
China’s  economic  backwardness,  of  the  absence  of  the  social 
and  industrial  agencies  familiar  to  us  in  the  West.  But  this 
state  of  things  is  rapidly  changing.  In  coast  cities  like  Shanghai 
manufacturing  is  beginning.  In  Shanghai  I visited  a cotton 
mill  owned,  run  and  operated  by  Chinese,  and  it  was  only 
one  of  many.  In  Japan  the  transition  to  the  new  order  is  well 
under  way.  Great  industries  are  springing  into  existence  and 
with  them  every  form  of  social  problem.  At  Osaka  great  num- 
bers of  young  girls  work  in  the  factories  under  conditions  of 
virtual  slavery,  and  their  numbers  are  increasing  every  year. 
Here  is  a unique  opportunity  for  the  Christian  church  to  cope 
with  the  situation  at  the  outset  and  bring  Christian  ideals  and 
principles  to  bear  upon  the  new  conditions  before  it  is  too  late. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  church  has  as  yet  fully  faced  this 
opportunity.  In  many  respects  the  work  that  has  been  done  by 
Christian  missions  for  the  cause  of  social  progress  is  admirable. 
In  such  problems  as  the  vice  problem,  the  drink  problem,  the 
problems  of  disease  and  of  ignorance — in  all  those  phases  of 
social  need,  in  a word,  which  bear  primarily  upon  the  individual, 
the  Christian  missionary  has  been  a pioneer,  and  the  Christian 
community,  as  we  have  already  seen,  exercises  an  influence 
altogether  out  of  proportion  to  its  numbers.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  hours  that  I spent  in  Japan  was  in  conference  with 
a little  group  of  prison  reformers  who  were  following  with 
interest  the  latest  developments  of  the  prison  reform  movement 
and  were  as  well  informed  as  to  the  situation  in  Sing  Sing 
as  I was  myself. 

The  most  signal  contribution  of  Christianity  to  social  need 
in  its  more  individualistic  form  is,  of  course,  medical  missions. 
I have  already  had  occasion  to  refer  to  these  in  another  con- 
nection, and  it  is  not  necessary  to  take  time  to  speak  in  detail  of 
a work  whose  excellence  has  been  recognized  by  all  impartial 
students  of  missions.  But  I wish  here  in  passing  to  pay  my 
own  tribute  to  the  admirable  work  which  is  being  done  by  such 
men  as  Dr.  Avison  at  Seoul,  Dr.  Neal  and  his  colleagues  at 
Tsinanfu,  Dr.  Christie  at  Moukden,  Dr.  Cochran  at  Hwaiyuan, 
and  a host  of  others  whom  I might  name.  The  fact  that  the 
Rockefeller  Foundation  proposes  to  use  their  work  as  the 


54 


basis  of  its  own  is  the  best  evidence  at  once  of  the  extent 
of  their  influence  and  the  excellence  of  their  work. 

But  we  are  coming  to  see  that  reform  which  confines  itself 
to  dealing  with  the  ills  of  the  individuals,  whether  of  mind  or 
body,  does  not  reach  to  the  root  of  the  matter.  Sickness,  like 
vice  and  crime,  is  itself  the  result,  or  at  least  the  symptom  of 
an  imperfect  social  order  and  can  be  dealt  with  adequately  only 
as  we  attempt  to  change  this.  This  deeper  underlying  problem 
the  church  on  the  mission  field  has  not  as  yet  adequately  faced. 
In  this,  to  be  sure,  it  is  like  the  church  at  home. 

But  here  again  conditions  are  rapidly  changing.  The  same 
causes  which  are  bringing  about  the  change  in  our  social  outlook 
at  home  are  affecting  the  leaders  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 
I referred  a moment  ago  to  Mr.  Oldham’s  treatment  of  the 
native  church,  in  his  recent  book.  Even  more  striking  and  sig- 
nificant is  his  connection  of  the  missionary  enterprise  with  the 
general  movement  for  social  reform.  Unless  Christians  at 
home  take  the  lead  in  reforming  the  social  abuses  in  their  own 
industrial  system,  with  what  conscience,  he  asks,  can  they  come 
to  other  countries  with  a gospel  of  deliverance  ? 

Among  thoughtful  missionaries  on  the  field  I found  not  a few 
who  share  this  new  point  of  view.  Both  in  China  and  in  Japan 
I talked  with  men  who  were  thoughtful  students  of  the  in- 
dustrial situation  and  who  were  deeply  concerned  that  the 
Christian  church  should  take  its  part  in  support  of  the  in- 
fluences which  are  making  for  a better  and  juster  economic  life. 

There  are  three  possible  ways  in  which  this  may  be  done. 
In  part  it  may  be  done  by  opening  demonstration  centres  such 
as  social  settlements  through  which  the  Christian  missionary 
can  come  into  touch  with  all  classes  of  people  and  try  to  influ- 
ence them  toward  a better  and  more  brotherly  life.  A second 
way  is  through  setting  apart  individuals  to  make  a scientific 
study  of  social  conditions  with  a view  to  suggesting  a remedy. 
A third  is  the  infusion  of  all  Christian  teaching  with  the  spirit 
of  brotherhood  and  social  service. 

An  example  of  the  first  is  the  proposed  social  settlement  of 
the  Baptist  College  at  Shanghai  under  the  leadership  of  Pro- 
fessor Kulp,  head  of  the  sociological  department  of  that  insti- 
tution. It  is  proposed,  if  the  proper  cooperation  and  backing 
can  be  secured,  to  take  a building  in  a congested  quarter  near 
the  large  cotton  mills,  and  begin  there  a work  similar  to  that  car- 


55 


ried  an  by  our  settlements  at  home.  Professor  Kulp  is  already 
in  friendly  touch  with  many  of  the  leading  manufacturers  both 
foreign  and  Chinese,  and  has  done  much  to  secure  better  con- 
ditions for  their  employees. 

The  difficulty  with  work  of  this  kind  is  that  in  order  to  be 
effective  it  requires  large  financial  support.  It  is  therefore 
difficult  to  carry  on  under  the  auspices  of  a single  board.  I 
visited,  for  example,  a settlement  building  recently  opened  by 
one  of  the  missions  in  a congested  district  of  a large  Chinese 
city  and  felt  that  with  the  meagre  support  which  it  could  com- 
mand, both  of  men  and  means,  it  would  be  difficult  to  make 
it  a success.  For  the  most  effective  results  there  should  be 
either  home  support  from  some  outside  body,  or  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  several  denominations,  each  being  responsible  for 
some  part  of  the  work. 

Even  more  important  than  to  open  such  social  centres  is  it 
to  set  apart  a number  of  men  to  specialize  in  social 
studies  in  order  that  they  may  be  in  a position  to  give  counsel 
and  advice  when  the  opportunity  arises.  But  here  again  we 
face  the  difficulty  that  such  work  seems  outside  the  direct  scope 
of  missionary  enterprise  as  at  present  carried  on.  I heard  of  one 
case  of  a Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  secretary  who 
had  given  a number  of  years  to  a careful  study  of  the  famine 
problem  in  one  of  the  provinces  of  China,  whose  services  were 
dispensed  with  just  before  the  completion  of  his  work  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  not  securing  adequate  results  in  adding 
individual  members  to  the  Association.  It  would  be  a great 
advantage  if  we  could  have  some  organization  which  would  do 
for  the  cause  of  social  reform  in  general  what  the  Rockefeller 
Foundation  is  planning  to  do  for  medicine — make  an  intelligent 
study  of  the  whole  situation  and  outline  the  work  that  is 
practicable.  But  if  this  cannot  be  done,  it  would  be  well  for 
the  leading  missions  to  commission  some  of  their  own  number 
to  give  at  least  a part  of  their  time  to  work  of  this  kind.  As 
an  indication  of  the  kind  of  work  I have  in  mind  I may  refer  to 
Professor  Gulick’s  recent  study  of  the  working  women  of  Japan, 
or  the  work  which  Professor  Baillie  is  doing  in  his  agricultural 
experiment  station  on  the  Purple  Mountain  at  Nanking. 

But  apart  from  this  specific  work  by  individuals  or  social 
groups  we  need  to  permeate  all  our  teaching  with  the  social 
spirit.  This  is  true  not  only  in  less  developed  countries  like 


56 


China  and  some  parts  of  Latin  America,  where  the  responsibility 
for  leadership  in  social  reform  rests  upon  the  Christian  mis- 
sionary. It  is  even  more  true  in  such  a country  as  Japan, 
where  we  have  a strong  and  highly  efficient  government,  and 
where  the  temptation  therefore  is  to  shift  upon  its  shoulders  the 
responsibility  for  the  social  betterment  of  the  people. 

I believe  that  the  fostering  of  such  a social  consciousness  on 
the  part  of  the  Christian  community  is  one  of  the  most  pressing 
duties  of  the  Japanese  ministry.  Thus  far  Japanese  Chris- 
tianity has  concerned  itself  primarily  with  the  individual  and 
apart  from  the  movements  which  deal  with  the  more  obvious 
social  vices,  such  as  intemperance  and  immorality,  there  has 
been  little  facing  of  the  social  question  as  such.  I spent  an 
afternoon  with  Dr.  Suguira  in  visiting  the  slum  district  of 
Tokyo  and  found  there  all  the  evils  with  which  we  are  familiar 
in  our  large  cities  in  accentuated  form.  Yet  in  this  great  neg- 
lected region,  housing  some  three  or  four  hundred  thousand 
people,  there  is  only  one  little  Christian  mission.  The  churches 
of  Japan  have  thus  far  been  too  occupied  with  their  own  prob- 
lems of  self-support,  to  face  the  needs  of  this  vast  section  of 
their  population.  It  is  the  same  with  the  factory  situation  in 
Osaka.  The  problems  presented  by  the  new  conditions  are 
recognized,  but  little  has  as  yet  been  done  toward  meeting  them. 

But  here  again,  as  I have  said,  things  are  changing  for  the 
better.  Individuals  here  and  there,  both  missionaries  and  native 
Christians,  are  beginning  to  feel  the  pressure  of  the  new  prob- 
lems and  are  considering  how  they  can  best  meet  them.  When 
I was  in  Tokyo  I met  a number  of  men  of  different  professions 
who  were  keenly  alive  to  the  social  need,  and  had  the  privilege 
of  discussing  with  them  some  of  the  methods  which  we  have  been 
following  in  dealing  with  our  own  problems  on  this  side  of  the 
wrater.  Plans  are  under  foot  for  opening  a social  centre  in  the 
slum  district  of  Tokyo,  as  part  of  a systematic  canvass  of  the 
whole  social  situation.  A recent  number  of  the  Japanese  Evan- 
gelist reports  a similar  movement  in  Kobe.  From  Mr.  Davis, 
of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  I have  received  a 
pamphlet  embodying  an  address  read  at  a missionary  conference 
entitled,  “ The  Social  Challenge  of  the  Japanese  City.”  These 
are  only  a few  of  many  indications  which  might  be  mentioned 
of  the  awakening  of  a spirit  in  the  Japanese  church  which  is 
full  of  promise  for  the  future. 


57 


What  is  true  of  Japan  is  still  more  true  of  Latin  America. 
Here,  as  we  have  seen,  the  type  of  Protestant  Christianity  which 
has  hitherto  prevailed  has  been  highly  individualistic,  and  the 
line  between  the  church  and  the  world  has  been  sharply  drawn. 
But  here  too  conditions  are  changing.  At  the  Panama  Confer- 
ence the  need  of  a stronger  social  emphasis  was  insisted  on  by 
more  than  one  speaker  ,and  the  responsibility  of  the  church  for 
using  the  social  message  as  a means  of  appeal  to  the  young  men 
and  women  of  the  colleges  pointed  out.  Interesting  testimony 
was  also  given  as  to  the  successful  use  of  social  methods,  notably 
by  Mr.  Inman,  whose  institute  at  Tiedias  Negras  in  Mexico  has 
proved  the  means  of  bringing  together  all  classes  of  the  popula- 
tion. 

One  question  which  it  may  be  worth  while  to  raise  in  this 
connection  is  as  to  the  possibility  of  closer  cooperation  between 
the  Young  Men’s  and  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Associa- 
tions in  the  social  aspects  of  Christian  work.  One  of  the  great 
difficulties  which  each  of  these  splendid  institutions  faces  is 
the  limited  constituency  with  which  it  deals.  Its  work  is 
with  individual  men  and  women,  and  it  feels  little  responsibility 
for  the  environment  from  which  is  constituency  comes.  This 
difficulty  is  accentuated  by  the  sharp  line  drawn  between  the 
sexes  in  the  East.  If  it  were  possible  to  have  a branch  of  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  in  a congested  slum  district 
with  a similar  branch  of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Asso- 
cition  next  door,  the  two  retaining  their  independence  of 
management  and  yet  operating  practically  as  one,  it  seems  not 
unlikely  that  larger  results  could  be  secured.  There  is  room, 
in  my  opinion,  both  on  the  foreign  field  and  for  that  matter 
in  our  own  work  at  home,  for  an  organization  modelled  upon 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and  the  Young 
Women’s  Christian  Association,  and  like  them  having  the 
advantage  of  an  interdenominational  constituency  and  sup- 
port, which  operates  with  the  family  as  its  unit,  and  includes 
in  its  sphere  the  country  as  well  as  the  city ; or  better  still,  for 
such  an  expansion  of  the  work  of  each  of  the  existing  organiza- 
tions as  would  enable  them  in  cooperation  to  cover  the  whole 
field,  of  which  each  now  deals  with  but  a segment.  But  the  line 
of  thought  thus  suggested  would  carry  us  beyond  our  immediate 
purpose. 


58 


(3)  The  Attitude  of  the  Missionary  Body  to  the  Government 
Under  Which  It  Works 

A third  phase  of  the  question  as  to  the  proper  attitude  of 
Christians  to  their  environment  has  to  do  with  the  relation  of 
the  missionary  body  to  the  governments  of  the  countries  in 
which  it  works.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  policy  of 
our  Protestant  missions  has  been  one  of  friendly  neutrality. 
The  distinction  clearly  recognized  in  the  United  States  between 
the  sphere  of  church  and  state  is  reasserted  on  the  foreign  field, 
and  the  missionary  asks  only  the  privileges  granted  to  other 
foreigners  doing  their  legitimate  work. 

In  practice,  however,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  live  up  to  this 
principle.  Not  to  speak  of  exceptional  conditions  such  as  obtain 
in  the  Turkish  Empire  where  until  recently  our  mission  schools 
have  been  operated  under  special  treaties  granting  them  peculiar 
privileges,  questions  are  continually  arising  growing  out  of  the 
social  situation  which  render  some  activity  on  the  part  of  the 
missionary  body  toward  the  political  authorities  necessary. 
What,  for  example,  shall  be  done  in  a country  like  Japan  where 
in  cities  like  Tokyo  and  Osaka  the  government  follows  the  policy 
of  licensing  vice  ? How  far  should  the  missionary  body  attack 
unjust  laws  such  as  those  which  deny  to  woman  the  custody  of 
her  own  person,  and  put  the  power  of  divorce  wholly  in  the 
hands  of  the  husband  ? How  far  shall  the  Christian  church 
demand  or,  if  granted,  accept  indemnity  for  wrongs  done  to 
the  person  of  its  missionaries  or  converts  ? What  shall  be  the 
attitude  of  the  missionary  body  in  times  of  international  crisis, 
such  as  that  which  a few  years  ago  threatened  the  relations 
between  Japan  and  the  United  States,  and  more  recently  the 
relations  between  Japan  and  China  ? It  is  clear  that  complete 
inactivity  under  such  conditions  would  be  possible  only  through 
the  surrender  of  principles,  but  it  is  no  less  clear  that  activity 
involves  risk  and  should  be  confined  to  cases  where  moral  prin- 
ciple is  clearly  involved. 

In  general  it  may  be  said  that  in  dealing  with  the  political 
aspects  of  social  questions  it  is  wise  as  far  as  possible  to  work 
through  the  native  Christian  community.  As  this  community 
gains  in  power  and  in  understanding  of  the  social  implications 
of  the  Gospel  it  will  inevitably  protest  against  whatever  in 
the  life  of  the  nation  is  inconsistent  with  the  application  of 


59 


these  principles,  and  in  this  protest  the  missionary  body  may 
well  join.  Instances  in  point  are  the  recent  agitation,  already 
referred  to,  against  the  opening  of  a licensed  quarter  in  Hang- 
chow in  China  and  in  Osaka  in  Japan.  In  both  cases  native 
Christians  and  missionaries  cooperated  in  creating  a public  senti- 
ment against  the  proposed  abuse  and  were  supported  by  an 
influential  section  of  the  public. 

There  are  cases,  however,  in  which  the  missionary  must  take 
the  initiative  if  anything  is  to  be  done.  One  of  the  most  notable 
cases  of  political  reform  brought  about  in  this  way  is  the  change 
in  the  Japanese  law  relating  to  the  right  of  a woman  to  discon- 
tinue a life  of  vice,  which  was  the  direct  result  of  the  persistent 
agitation  of  a little  group  of  missionaries  headed  by  Mr.  Murphy 
of  Nagoya  and  described  in  his  book,  “ The  Social  Evil  in 
Japan.” 

More  perplexing  is  the  question  of  the  proper  attitude  to  be 
taken  in  times  of  international  tension.  Here  there  are  two 
dangers  to  be  avoided : on  the  one  hand  the  disposition  to  accept 
without  question  what  the  government  may  say,  and  so  be  led 
to  condone  wrong  doing  on  the  part  of  a strong  nation  to  a 
weak;  on  the  other  hand,  the  uncritical  championship  of  the 
weak  against  the  strong,  which  may  lead  to  a type  of  political 
interference  detrimental  to  the  freedom  and  permanent  influence 
of  the  missionary. 

Both  may  be  illustrated  at  the  present  time  in  the  relations 
between  Japan  and  China.  I found  in  Japan  a disposition  to 
belittle  the  charge  of  aggressive  intention  made  against  the 
government  and  to  insist  that  the  pacific  statements  of  the 
authorities  be  taken  in  good  faith.  In  China,  on  the  other  hand, 
I found  a rooted  distrust  of  Japan  and  all  things  Japanese  com- 
parable only  to  that  which  obtains  at  the  present  time  on  the 
part  of  the  Allies  toward  Germany.  Dr.  Speer’s  warning  to 
the  Chinese  missionaries  against  hasty  judgment  of  Japan  was 
severely  criticized  in  China,  and  the  Japanese  missionaries 
blamed  for  not  coming  out  in  open  denunciation  of  the  govern- 
ment under  which  they  lived. 

We  find  a similar  difference  in  the  attitude  of  the  Japanese 
and  the  Korean  missionaries  as  to  what  has  been  happening  in 
that  country.  The  former  have  on  the  whole  approved  the  policy 
of  the  government;  the  latter  have  condemned  it.  At  least 
this  was  the  case  until  recently.  At  present,  however,  I am 


60 


glad  to  say  there  are  indications  of  a change  of  sentiment  on 
the  part  of  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  Korean  mission.  This 
change  may  be  traced  in  large  measure  to  the  visit  of  Dr. 
Underwood  and  others  to  Tokyo,  and  their  closer  contact  with 
the  leaders  of  the  Japanese  church.  In  Dr.  Underwood’s  recent 
death,  coming  at  a time  when  his  counsel  and  influence  were 
more  than  ever  needed,  the  church  of  Korea  has  suffered  a 
serious  loss. 

Some  such  interchange  of  opinion  and  sentiment  is  greatly 
needed  as  between  China  and  Japan.  We  know  in  our  own 
experience  in  the  case  of  the  European  war  how  easy  it  is  for 
bitterness  and  misunderstandings  to  arise  when  the  organs  of 
communication  are  interrupted.  It  would  be  a calamity  if  the 
situation  which  now  obtains  between  the  churches  of  England 
and  Germany  should  be  repeated  in  the  case  of  the  churches 
of  China  and  Japan.  To  guard  against  this  danger  it  is  highly 
desirable  that  arrangements  should  be  made  for  annual  con- 
ferences in  which  leaders  of  the  Chinese  church  should  visit 
Japan,  and  vice  versa.  Such  conferences  would  not  only  relieve 
the  tension  as  between  the  two  Christian  bodies  by  bringing 
about  a better  understanding  of  the  facts.  They  would  create 
an  international  sentiment  which  would  have  a powerful  in- 
fluence upon  the  action  of  the  governments  on  either  side  and 
might  pave  the  way  to  an  amicable  adjustment  otherwise 
impossible. 

One  difficult  question  which  is  at  present  agitating  the  Korean 
missionaries  concerns  the  government  prohibition  of  the  teaching 
of  religion  in  the  missionary  schools.  In  most  cases  an  exception 
has  been  granted  suspending  the  operation  of  the  rule  for 
nine  years,  but  if  it  should  ever  be  enforced  it  would  raise 
questions  of  conscience  of  a difficult  character.  Many  of  the 
missionaries  with  whom  I talked  believe  that  before  the  nine 
years  are  over  some  modus  vivendi  will  be  discovered.  It 
does  not  seem  likely  that  a country  like  Japan,  which  claims 
to  guarantee  freedom  of  conscience  to  all  its  subjects,  would 
permanently  continue  a rule  prohibiting  religious  instruction  in 
private  schools  for  those  who  of  their  own  accord  choose  to  at- 
tend them.  The  action  taken  in  Korea  is  probably  to  be  re- 
garded as  a police  measure  due  to  the  peculiar  conditions  pre- 
vailing in  Korea  during  a transition  period. 


IY 


CONSEQUENCES  FOR  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION 

All  the  subjects  which  we  have  thus  far  discussed  bear  directly 
or  indirectly  upon  the  matter  with  which  as  a Seminary  we  are 
most  immediately  concerned.  I mean  that  of  missionary  educa- 
tion. In  what  follows  I shall  briefly  call  attention  to  some  of 
the  more  important  aspects  of  this  many-sided  problem,  so 
far  as  they  bear  upon  the  Seminary’s  plan  for  a department 
of  missions. 

There  are  four  phases  of  the  problem  of  missionary  education 
which  need  independent  consideration:  (1)  that  of  the  recruit- 
ing and  training  of  missionaries;  (2)  that  of  the  training  of 
native  workers;  (3)  that  of  the  creation  of  a Christian  literature 
in  the  vernacular;  (4)  that  of  the  education  of  the  church  at 
home. 

1 

The  Recruiting  and  Training  of  Missionaries 

And  first  of  the  education  of  the  missionary  himself.  Who 
is  he,  and  what  does  he  need  to  fit  him  for  his  task  ? 

A generation  ago  the  foreign  missionary  was,  with  a few 
rare  exceptions,  an  ordained  minister.  He  received  his  training 
in  a theological  seminary  with  a uniform  curriculum  including 
the  original  languages  of  the  Bible,  exegesis,  church  history, 
systematic  theology,  and  homiletics.  Whatever  else  he  needed 
to  learn  to  fit  him  for  his  work  he  had  to  acquire  himself  after 
he  came  to  it.  Whether  a man  went  to  India  or  to  China  or  to 
the  South  Sea  Islands;  whether  he  was  to  be  a teacher  or  a 
preacher,  or  a translator,  there  was  no  difference  in  his  pre- 
liminary training.  Such  a post-graduate  study  as  he  needed  was 
supplied  by  the  field  itself. 

Under  this  system  many  strong  and  efficient  missionaries 
were  developed.  There  is  no  teacher  like  necessity,  and  the 
contributions  of  some  of  the  older  missionaries  to  science  and 
literature  in  fields  outside  of  theology  will  bear  comparison 


61 


62 


with  the  best  work  done  by  men  who  have  been  trained  as 
specialists. 

With  the  increasing  complexity  and  difficulty  of  the  mis- 
sionary problem,  however,  we  are  coming  to  see  that  such  a 
system  is  wasteful  and  inflective.  Both  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  field  itself  and  of  the  different  kinds  of  work  to  be  done 
within  the  field  there  is  need  of  a more  specialized  training. 
With  the  expansion  of  the  sphere  of  missionary  activity  to 
include  social  and  philanthropic  service  of  all  kinds,  it  is  no 
longer  necessary  that  every  candidate  for  the  mission  field 
should  be  a clergyman.  The  doctor  and  the  teacher,  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  and  the  Young  Women’s  Christian 
Association  secretary  look  forward  to  work  of  a very  different 
kind  from  the  minister  or  the  theological  teacher,  and  require 
a different  kind  of  training.  With  some  things  taught  in  the 
seminary  they  can  dispense,  while  they  require  others,  for 
which  in  many  of  our  seminaries  at  least  no  provision  is  made. 

Under  these  conditions  the  whole  problem  of  the  training  of 
candidates  has  entered  upon  a new  phase.  It  is  becoming  less 
and  less  a theological,  more  and  more  a general  educational 
problem.  Both  missionaries  and  boards  are  giving  this  problem 
an  attention  which  it  did  not  receive  a few  years  ago.  Most 
significant  is  the  work  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation, 
a body  including  leading  missionary  educators  who  have  been 
studying  conditions  in  the  different  fields  and  making  recom- 
mendations as  to  the  special  lines  of  preparation  to  be  followed 
by  candidates  looking  forward  to  work  in  these  fields.  The 
work  thus  done  is  reacting  upon  the  seminaries  which  are  giving 
to  the  problem  of  specialization  in  missionary  preparation  a 
constantly  increasing  attention. 

There  are  three  phases  of  the  problem  of  missionary  educa- 
tion : first,  that  of  the  training  of  the  missionary  before  he  goes 
to  the  field;  secondly,  that  of  the  best  use  of  the  furlough; 
and  thirdly,  that  of  further  training  for  the  missionary  while 
he  is  still  on  the  field. 

The  attempt  to  provide  specialized  training  for  the  candidate 
for  missionary  service  before  he  goes  to  the  field  encounters 
serious  difficulties.  These  difficulties  are  due  in  part  to  the 
fact  that  missionaries  like  other  persons  often  do  not  know 
where  they  are  going  to  work,  in  time  to  make  intelligent 
preparation  beforehand.  Even  when  the  field  is  known  it  is 


63 


often  uncertain  what  particular  branch  of  the  work  will  be 
assigned  to  the  prospective  candidate.  Questions  of  personal 
fitness  also  come  in,  with  the  result  to  which  I have  already 
referred,  that  we  find  men  of  high  technical  training  in  one 
subject  spending  their  time  in  doing  elementary  work  in  another. 

Several  suggestions  have  been  made  for  dealing  with  this 
difficulty.  One  is  that  the  time  of  preparation  should  be  divided, 
men  leaving  the  seminary  after  one  or  two  years  to  go  to  the 
field  for  a period  of  two  or  three  years  during  which  they 
may  acquire  the  language,  and  discover  for  what  particular 
part  of  the  work  they  are  fitted,  returning  then  to  the  seminary 
to  complete  their  preparation  and  to  secure  such  further  special 
training  as  may  be  needed  to  fit  them  for  their  special  work. 
A second  suggestion  is  that  the  time  of  the  first  furlough  should 
be  shortened,  being  made  three  or  five  years  as  the  case  may  be. 
Still  a third  suggestion  is  that  there  should  be  a clearer  differ- 
entiation between  the  educational  work  of  missions  and  its  other 
phases,  and  that  for  the  former,  more  use  should  be  made  of 
college  trained  men  who  have  had  only  one  or  two  years  of 
special  theological  training  instead  of  the  full  seminary  course. 
On  no  subject  did  I find  greater  difference  of  opinion  among  the 
missionaries.  Many  seemed  to  feel  that  the  difficulties  in  the 
case  are  inherent  and  that  no  change  in  method  would  mean 
a material  improvement.  We  face  here  one  phase  of  the  general 
problem  of  specialization  in  education  which  is  giving  so  much 
perplexity  to  our  teachers  here  at  home. 

On  one  point  there  is  general  agreement,  and  that  is  on  the 
fundamental  importance  of  a mastery  of  the  native  language 
by  the  missionary.  During  the  pioneer  period  of  missions, 
when  the  contact  of  the  missionary  was  largely  with  the  ignorant 
and  uneducated,  it  might  be  possible  to  get  on  with  an  imperfect 
control  of  the  language,  but  to-day  when  in  every  country 
without  exception  the  missionary  has  access  to  men  of  culture 
and  refinement,  and  when  he  is  obliged  to  deal  with  the  most 
intricate  questions  of  science,  philanthropy  and  comparative 
religion,  nothing  less  than  complete  mastery  will  suffice.  In  a 
country  like  Japan  this  is  a matter  which  requires  years  of  the 
most  painstaking  effort  and  particular  linguistic  gifts  which 
not  all  possess.  All  the  more  important  is  it  therefore  that 
there  should  be  some  preliminary  sifting  of  candidates  to  deter- 
mine who  possess  these  gifts,  and  that  the  men  who  do  should 


64 


be  encouraged  to  give  themselves  to  linguistic  study  with  a 
thoroughness  which  the  pressure  of  the  average  missionary's 
multifarious  duties  often  makes  impossible. 

But  if  it  is  difficult  to  give  the  missionary  the  proper  special- 
ized training  before  he  goes  to  the  field,  that  is  all  the  more 
reason  for  giving  him  such  training  after  he  has  reached  it  and 
knows  what  he  needs.  Here  the  furlough  supplies  an  educa- 
tional opportunity  of  which  as  yet  we  have  made  too  little  use. 
I found  a very  general  agreement  among  missionaries  that  our 
present  system  is  wasteful  and  ineffective.  To  take  a man  who 
has  been  several  years  on  the  field  and  let  him  spend  his  fur- 
lough in  running  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  another  giving 
missionary  addresses  when  he  might  be  mastering  some  subject 
which  would  fit  him  for  more  effective  work  when  he  goes  back, 
is  surely  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish.  The  disposition  on  the 
part  of  our  seminaries  to  provide  opportunities  for  specialized 
training  for  returned  missionaries  is  generally  welcomed  and 
is  receiving  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
different  boards. 

A phase  of  the  problem  of  missionary  training  which  has 
received  much  less  attention  than  it  deserves  is  that  of  the 
education  of  the  missionary  on  the  field.  I have  called  atten- 
tion to  the  wastefulness  of  a system  which  fills  with  routine 
work  which  could  be  done  as  well  by  any  clerk  the  time  of  a 
man  who,  if  his  energies  were  released,  could  be  doing  effective, 
scholarly  work.  I believe  that  one  of  the  best  things  which 
could  be  done  would  be  to  encourage  a certain  number  of  our 
younger  missionaries  of  promise  to  give  themselves  to  special 
research  in  subjects  like  comparative  religion,  sociology,  and 
the  like,  in  order  that  they  fit  themselves  to  meet  the  leaders  of 
the  non-Christian  faiths  on  equal  terms.  The  exceptional  man 
will  no  doubt  do  this  in  any  event  in  spite  of  the  difficulty  to  be 
overcome.  But  what  we  need  is  a policy  that  will  encourage 
more  men  to  take  up  such  work,  remove  the  obstacles  which 
at  present  make  it  impossible  for  many  of  them,  and  create  a 
spirit  of  cooperation  and  esprit  de  corps  which  will  make  them 
feel  that  their  work  is  worth  while. 

Another  phase  of  the  same  problem  is  the  question  of  bring- 
ing inspiration  and  refreshment  to  the  individual  missionary  in 
a more  or  less  isolated  field.  Here  again  I found  men  of  fine 
parts  doing  excellent  work  who  seemed  worn  and  jaded  from 


65 


the  lack  of  touch  with  some  outside  influence  such  as  that  which 
is  open  to  those  who  are  living  in  or  near  great  cities.  The  need 
is  the  same  with  which  we  are  familiar  in  the  home  mission  field, 
and  the  problem  there  as  here  is  in  part  a problem  of  expense. 
Partly  the  need  could  be  met  by  more  frequent  visitation  on 
the  part  of  the  secretaries  or  of  other  friends ; partly 
through  some  system  of  circulating  libraries,  bringing  the  results 
of  modern  scholarship  into  the  homes  of  men  who  cannot  reach 
large  libraries;  partly  through  a fund  which  could  be  used  in 
bringing  men  from  distant  points  to  centres  for  conference 
and  inspiration.  But  whatever  the  method,  it  is  clear  that 
there  is  something  that  needs  to  be  done  if  we  are  to  keep  our 
men  at  distant  points  in  touch  with  the  sources  of  inspiration, 
without  which  our  own  lives  would  stagnate. 

2 

The  Training  of  the  Native  Ministry 

What  is  true  of  the  missionary  body  is  true  a fortiori  of  the 
native  church.  Here  the  great  opportunity  provided  for  the 
missionary  by  his  furlough  is  lacking.  Only  a very  few  of  the 
native  Christians  can  leave  their  homes  for  a year  of  study  in 
Europe  and  America.  All  the  more  important  is  it  therefore 
that  we  should  take  measures  to  encourage  the  leaders  to  train 
themselves  for  effective  service  where  they  are. 

The  need  of  providing  adequate  facilities  for  home  training  is 
accentuated  by  the  fact  that  even  if  it  were  feasible  on  the 
ground  of  expense,  there  are  disadvantages  in  giving  men  who 
are  looking  forward  to  the  ministry  in  China  or  Japan  their 
complete  theological  training  in  English  or  American  semi- 
naries. There  is  danger  that  men  who  have  been  transplanted 
to  so  different  an  environment  at  so  early  an  age  will  lose  touch 
with  home  conditions  and  problems  and  find  it  difficult  to  put 
up  with  the  limitations  under  which  their  native  fellow-minis- 
ters must  work.  I found  not  a few  cases  of  such  maladjustment 
both  in  China  and  Japan.  For  this  reason  many  missionaries 
believe  that  as  a rule  candidates  for  the  native  ministry  should 
receive  their  training  at  home,  the  opportunity  for  further 
study  abroad  being  reserved  for  exceptional  men  who  have 
proved  their  fitness  and  who  are  looking  forward  to  definite 
work. 


66 


I have  already  had  occasion  to  refer  to  the  state  of  theological 
education  in  Japan  and  China,  and  need  not  repeat  what  I 
have  already  said.  In  Japan  we  have  excellent  schools  with  a 
comparatively  high  standard  from  which  men  can  come  to  our 
American  seminaries  with  a good  preparation.  In  China  con- 
ditions are  much  more  elementary,  and  the  opportunities  of 
advanced  training  for  men  of  promise  limited. 

With  the  general  rise  of  educational  standards  in  China 
the  need  of  improvement  in  the  methods  of  theological  educa- 
tion is  beginning  to  make  itself  felt;  and  the  time  has  come 
when  it  should  be  possible  to  increase  the  number  of  centres  of 
advanced  theological  instruction,  open  to  college  graduates  only, 
or  men  of  similar  preparation.  Professor  Stuart,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  anxious  to  provide  such  a course  at  Nanking,  and  to  this 
end  is  appealing  for  a fund  to  enable  him  to  establish  merit 
scholarships  modeled  after  our  system  at  Union.  He  believes 
that  such  scholarships  would  attract  men  of  promise  from  all 
over  China,  and  help  to  raise  the  standard  of  theological  educa- 
tion for  the  Republic  as  a whole. 

In  addition  to  the  existing  provision  for  theological  education 
I believe  that  there  is  a great  field  of  usefulness  in  China  for 
institutions  modeled  after  Hampton  and  Tuskegee,  which  should 
provide  training  for  lay  workers  who  could  get  out  into  the  more 
undeveloped  parts  of  China  and,  like  the  graduates  of  these 
institutions  at  home,  set  an  example  to  their  neighbors  of  a 
clean,  intelligent  and  self-respecting  life.  One  of  the  great 
obstacles  in  China  to-day  is  the  association  of  education  with 
book-learning,  and  the  consequent  tendency  of  the  educated  man 
to  despise  manual  labor.  The  spectacle  of  graduates  of  Chris- 
tian schools  earning  their  own  living  in  trade  and  industry 
and  using  their  leisure  for  Christian  work  among  their  neigh- 
bors would  help  to  break  down  this  prejudice  and  educate  public 
opinion  as  to  the  dignity  of  labor. 

An  important  element  in  any  comprehensive  educational  sys- 
tem must  be  adequate  provision  for  specialized  training  for 
those  outstanding  personalities  among  the  native  Christians  who 
give  promise  of  leadership.  What  was  said  a moment  ago  as  to 
the  disadvantages  of  sending  the  average  Chinese  or  Japanese 
abroad  for  his  theological  education  does  not  apply  in  the  case 
of  men  who  have  already  proved  their  fitness  and  know  what 
they  need.  For  such  men  opportunity  to  see  another  country 


67 


and  study  other  methods  can  prove  only  beneficial,  and  every 
provision  should  be  made  to  make  such  advanced  study  possible. 

I recall  an  evening  spent  in  conversation  with  Chang  Po 
Ling  of  Tientsin,  one  of  the  strongest  of  the  native  Chinese 
Christians.  He  is  the  principal  of  a large  and  exceedingly 
efficient  boys’  school,  financed  and  run  entirely  by  Chinese, 
and  the  leading  spirit  in  the  strongest  independent  native 
church  in  China.  But  he  is  without  technical  training  either 
in  matters  educational  or  religious.  If  he  is  to  meet  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  rest  upon  him  in  the  most  effective  way 
he  ought  to  spend  at  least  a year  in  study  in  some  graduate 
school  in  the  United  States  or  Great  Britain,  where  he  could 
inform  himself  as  to  the  latest  developments  in  pedagogical 
science  and  gain  that  historic  background  which  would  enable 
him  to  meet  the  perplexing  theological  questions  which  face 
every  independent  church  during  the  formative  years  of  its  life. 

In  addition  to  providing  opportunities  for  study  abroad  for 
a selected  number  of  promising  native  leaders  much  could,  no 
doubt,  be  done  to  provide  facilities  for  further  training  on  the 
field  itself.  Men  of  scholarly  tastes  should  be  encouraged  to 
choose  some  subject  for  special  research,  and  give  themselves  to 
it  during  their  hours  of  leisure.  For  the  rest,  inspirational 
conferences  should  be  provided,  after  the  model  of  the  confer- 
ences now  conducted  by  Hampton  and  Tuskegee,  or  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board’s  Department  of  Church  and  Country  Life. 
The  main  thing  is  that  it  should  be  recognized,  in  the  case  of 
the  native  worker  as  of  the  missionary,  that  graduation  from 
the  seminary  is  not  the  end,  but  rather  the  beginning  of  the 
minister’s  education. 

3 

The  Need  of  a Christian  Literature  in  the  Vernacular 

One  phase  of  the  educational  problem  whose  importance  it 
is  difficult  to  over-emphasize  is  that  of  the  creation  of  a good 
Christian  literature  in  the  vernacular.  In  every  country  which 
I visited  I found  that  this  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
crying  needs.  When  one  realizes  what  we  owe  in  English 
speaking  countries  not  only  to  the  Bible  but  to  the  great  classics 
which  have  been  formed  under  its  influence,  and  then  try  to 


68 


imagine  what  our  life  would  be  if  all  these  were  to  be  suddenly 
removed,  we  appreciate  the  importance  of  trying  to  give  to  the 
countries  that  are  facing  the  new  tasks  of  Christian  citizenship 
something  which  shall  prove  an  equivalent.  It  is  not  enough 
to  translate  European  books,  even  the  best.  We  must  raise  up 
a new  literature,  and  this  is  a gigantic  task. 

This  is  particularly  important  in  a country  like  Japan  which 
is  in  close  touch  with  all  the  currents  of  modern  scholarship 
and  which  through  its  universities  is  turning  out  every  year 
large  numbers  of  highly  trained  specialists.  In  men  like  Pro- 
fessor Anesaki  and  his  colleagues  in  the  Imperial  University, 
Japan  possesses  scholars  who  are  the  peers  of  any  in  our 
western  universities.  It  is  clear  that  if  we  are  to  hold  the 
thoughtful  young  men  and  women  of  Japan  to  the  Christian 
faith  we  must  be  able  to  put  into  their  hands  a literature  pre- 
pared by  men  who  are  familiar  with  the  work  of  these  men 
and  able  to  meet  them  on  their  own  ground. 

For  China  too  the  creation  of  such  a literature  is  a work  of 
prime  necessity.  Here  is  a country  which  for  hundreds  of 
years  has  given  its  greatest  honors  to  the  scholar  and  the  man 
of  letters;  in  which  acquaintance  with  the  classics  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  the  entire  educational  system.  It  is  clear  that 
if  we  are  to  build  up  a native  church  of  the  type  which  we  have 
seen  to  be  needed,  we  must  make  an  appeal  through  the  eye  as 
well  as  the  ear,  and  this  means  that  we  must  have  a literature 
which  can  address  the  cultivated  Chinese  in  the  language 
with  which  he  is  familiar,  and  which  will  conform  to  the  stand- 
ards of  taste  which  prevail  in  the  circles  in  which  he  moves. 
How  far  we  are  from  realizing  this  ideal  those  who  have  been 
longest  in  China  will  best  appreciate. 

To  meet  this  need  so  far  as  possible  Christian  Literature 
Societies  have  been  founded,  both  in  China  and  in  Japan — the 
former  until  recently  under  the  venerated  Dr.  Timothy  Richard ; 
the  latter  under  Dr.  Wainright,  of  Tokyo.  I cannot  speak 
too  highly  of  the  work  which  these  societies  are  doing.  Both 
in  securing  translations  of  good  books  and  in  publishing  the 
works  of  native  authors  they  are  rendering  an  indispensable 
service.  But  they  are  limited  in  funds  and  also  necessarily  in 
scope.  They  must  give  precedence  to  works  of  a religious 
nature,  and  among  these  to  those  which  bear  more  or  less 
directly  on  the  missionary  enterprise.  But  apart  from  such 


books  there  is  need  for  a wholesome  secular  literature  written 
from  the  Christian  point  of  view,  of  good  popular  novels  which 
can  be  put  into  the  hands  of  young  men  and  young  women,  of 
works  on  philosophical  and  scientific  subjects,  essays  and  poetry 
and  biography  and  history;  in  a word  of  all  that  we  sum  up 
under  the  title  literature.  But  to  produce  this,  even  were  the 
materials  in  existence,  would  require  an  expenditure  of  time 
and  money  which  is  wholly  beyond  the  reach  of  these  societies. 

What  is  true  of  Japan  and  of  China  is  true  in  equal  measure 
of  the  Latin  American  countries.  From  every  one  without 
exception  comes  the  cry  for  a good  Christian  literature.  One 
of  the  most  pitiable  features  of  the  Panama  Congress  was  the 
exhibit  of  Protestant  Christian  literature  in  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese. Both  in  amount  and  in  quality  the  books  were  utterly 
inadequate,  and  if  the  missionary  enterprise  is  to  have  any 
effect  in  reaching  the  more  thoughtful  classes,  this  lack  must  at 
once  be  supplied. 

The  difficulty  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  translations,  even 
if  they  were  to  be  had,  will  not  fully  meet  the  need.  What  is 
required  is  the  assimiliation  of  Christian  ideas  by  leaders  in  the 
different  countries  of  the  mission  field  who  speak  and  write 
their  native  language  with  precision  and  grace  and  who  can 
produce  works  which  will  meet  the  standards  of  literary  excel- 
lence by  which  the  works  of  contemporary  scholars  in  their  own 
country  are  judged. 

It  is  clear  that  before  this  need  can  be  adequately  met  many 
years  must  pass,  and  a generation  arise  who  have  grown  up 
into  Christianity  as  naturally  as  our  own  children  do  so  at 
home.  But  in  the  meanwhile  we  must  use  such  materials  as 
we  have.  And  here  I believe  that  through  intelligent  coopera- 
tion much  could  be  done  which  we  are  not  now  doing. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  recollections  is  of  an  evening 
spent  in  conversation  with  two  of  our  own  graduates,  one  a 
Professor  of  Church  History,  the  other  a leading  pastor  of 
Tokyo,  on  the  subject  of  Japan’s  need  of  Christian  books.  They 
were  speaking  of  specific  books  which  were  needed — a book  on 
theism,  a book  on  the  church,  a sympathetic  interpretation  of 
the  historic  Christian  doctrines  in  the  light  of  modem  thought. 
These  young  men  were  anxious  to  do  their  part  in  supplying 
this  need.  They  had  proved  their  ability  by  the  production 
of  work  of  excellent  character,  but  they  were  hampered  by  the 


70 


press  of  other  duties  to  such  an  extent  that  the  needed  time  and 
leisure  were  not  to  be  had. 

I have  no  doubt  that  there  are  many  such  men  in  each  of  the 
greater  mission  fields.  Some  of  them  I myself  met.  But  they 
are  not  free  to  give  themselves  to  the  work.  Surely  it  ought  to 
be  possible  to  devise  some  system  by  which  men  of  scholarly  and 
literary  tastes  may  be  released  from  the  service  of  the  par- 
ticular denomination  to  which  they  belong,  for  a period  longer  or 
shorter  as  the  case  may  be — to  give  themselves  with  undivided 
energy  to  the  more  important  task  of  creating  a literature 
which  shall  serve  the  need  of  the  church  as  a whole. 

Here  as  everywehere  we  are  brought  back  to  the  supreme  need 
of  Christian  missions,  and  that  is  the  discovery  and  training  of 
strong  personalties.  Where  can  we  find  the  men  who  are 
competent  to  do  the  work  that  needs  to  be  done,  and  when  we 
have  found  them,  how  can  we  furnish  them  the  equipment  they 
need  to  do  their  work  effectively?  This  is  the  missionary 
problem  par  excellence,  as  it  is  the  problem  of  the  church  at 
home. 


4 

The  Education  of  the  Church  at  Home 

One  more  phase  of  the  problem  of  missionary  education  I 
can  touch  on  only  in  a word,  and  that  is  the  problem  of  educat- 
ing the  church  at  home  to  the  needs  and  demands  of  the  present 
situation.  At  present  this  responsibility  rests  largely  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  secretaries  of  our  boards  and  of  the  mission- 
aries on  furlough  as  they  go  about  among  the  churches.  But 
it  is  clear  that  it  is  not  fair  to  ask  them  to  assume  the  whole 
weight  of  this  burden.  It  is  a part  of  the  whole  problem  of 
education,  for  which  our  colleges  and  seminaries  are  respon- 
sible. It  is  not  enough  to  train  our  men  for  the  mission  field. 
We  must  help  to  create  the  public  opinion  which  will  sustain 
them  in  their  work,  and  that  means  that  we  must  produce  an 
attitude  toward  foreign  missions  on  the  part  of  the  church  as 
a whole  which  will  appeal  to  the  thoughtful  men  at  home  who 
have  it  in  their  power  to  make  possible  the  realization  of  the 
ideals  of  which  we  have  been  speaking. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  we  may  go  about  the  creation 


71 


of  such  an  attitude.  One  is  by  bringing  an  increasing  number 
of  individuals  into  direct  touch  with  the  work  of  missions,  either 
through  personal  visitation  of  the  field,  through  contact  with 
returned  missionaries,  or  through  missionary  literature.  This 
is  the  work  in  which  our  boards  are  at  present  engaged,  and 
they  are  meeting  with  great  success  in  it.  Through  such  move- 
ments as  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement,  by  the  testimony 
of  such  leaders  of  opinion  as  President  Taft,  who  has  had 
exceptional  opportunities  to  inform  himself  as  to  the  work  of 
our  missionaries — above  all,  through  such  gatherings  as  the 
Edinburgh  Conference,  and  the  more  recent  conference  at 
Panama,  an  intelligent  public  opinion  is  being  informed  which 
is  full  of  promise  for  the  future  of  missions. 

But  there  is  another  phase  of  this  preparation  which  is  no 
less  important  and  that  is  to  bring  the  church  to  such  a con- 
ception of  the  nature  of  Christianity  and  the  function  of  the 
church  that  foreign  missions  will  be  seen  to  be  of  the  very 
essence  of  the  Gospel.  This  is  a work  which  must  be  done  by 
our  ministers  and  theological  teachers,  and  until  we  have  accom- 
plished it,  our  work  for  missions  must  rest  upon  a precarious 
foundation.  We  must  have  done  once  and  for  all  with  the 
departmental  conception  of  Christianity,  which  thinks  of  mis- 
sions as  an  addendum  to  something  which  is  complete  without 
it,  and  come  to  realize  that  there  is  only  one  kind  of  Christianity 
worthy  of  the  name,  and  that  is  missionary  Christianity. 

This  has  a direct  bearing  upon  our  work  as  theological  teach- 
ers. It  is  an  excellent  thing  to  create  a department  of  foreign 
missions  in  the  Seminary,  and  to  furnish  our  students  with  all 
the  information  available  as  to  what  is  being  done  and  planned 
on  the  foreign  field.  But  it  is  even  more  important  to  infuse 
the  spirit  of  missions  into  the  work  of  each  department  and 
make  men  feel  that  whatever  the  subject  studied,  whether  it  be 
exegesis  or  history,  ethics  or  theology,  their  teachers  approach  it 
in  the  spirit  of  world-wide  service,  and  against  the  background 
of  the  whole  world’s  need.  It  is  with  this  conviction  that  I 
would  approach  the  final  topic  which  awaits  our  consideration, 
namely,  what  our  own  Seminary  can  do  to  further  the  cause 
of  missionary  education. 


y 


WHAT  THE  SEMINARY  CAN  DO 

1 

The  Responsibility  op  the  Seminary  for  Missionary 
Education 

There  are  four  ways  in  which  the  Seminary  can  contribute  to 
the  cause  of  missionary  education.  First  of  all,  by  training 
individual  candidates  for  the  mission  field ; secondly,  by  provid- 
ing an  effective  graduate  school  for  the  further  training  of 
returned  missionaries,  or  selected  native  leaders,  in  the  special- 
ties which  they  require  • thirdly,  by  contributing  directly  to  the 
work  of  missions  by  setting  apart  one  or  more  representatives 
for  service  on  the  field;  and  fourthly,  by  doing  its  part  in 
interpreting  modem  missions  to  the  church  at  home. 

The  first  thing  that  the  Seminary  can  do  to  help  the  cause  of 
missions  is  to  supply  effective  missionaries.  Everything  else  is 
subsidiary  to  this.  Whatever  tends  to  improve  the  standing  of 
the  Seminary  among  educational  institutions,  whatever  helps  to 
raise  the  ministry  in  men ’s  estimation,  whatever  serves  to  attract 
manly  men  from  our  leading  colleges  and  universities  and  to 
present  the  cause  of  Christian  missions  for  their  consideration 
as  a life  work,  is  a direct  contribution  to  the  cause  in  which  we 
are  at  present  interested. 

The  second  thing  that  the  Seminary  can  do  is  to  furnish  a 
graduate  school  for  the  advanced  training  of  returned  mission- 
aries or  of  selected  leaders  of  the  native  church.  For  this  work 
Union  Seminary  has  unique  advantages,  situated  as  it  is  in 
the  greatest  city  in  the  world,  with  close  access  to  two  great 
universities,  and  in  intimate  touch  with  the  headquarters  of 
the  great  mission  boards.  Such  a school  should  not  only  give 
the  individual  missionary  the  training  that  he  needs,  but  it 
should  serve  as  a clearing  house  between  the  different  fields  by 
bringing  together  men  with  a different  background  of  experience 
and  enabling  them  to  interchange  their  ideas  under  conditions 
of  mutual  profit. 


72 


73 


But  apart  from  this  the  Seminary  has  an  opportunity  to  make 
a further  contribution  to  the  work  of  missions  by  setting  apart 
one  or  more  of  its  representatives  for  direct  service  on  the  field. 
This  contribution  can  be  made  in  two  ways:  partly  along  the 
line  of  scholarly  research,  and  partly  along  the  line  of  practical 
inspiration.  There  are  problems  which  the  missionary  faces  on 
the  field  which  we  could  help  him  to  solve  if  we  used  the  oppor- 
tunities of  study  open  to  us  for  that  end,  and  there  are  inspira- 
tions which  we  share  which  we  might  bring  to  him  if  we  could 
realize  our  hope  that  such  visits  as  the  generosity  of  the  Board 
has  made  possible  in  my  own  case  might  be  repeated  in  the  case 
of  other  members  of  the  Faculty. 

Finally,  the  Seminary  can  help  the  cause  of  missionary  educa- 
tion by  contributing  to  the  formation  of  a healthy  public  senti- 
ment concerning  missions  on  the  part  of  the  church  as  a whole. 
This  it  can  do  in  two  ways:  In  the  first  place  by  providing 

contacts  between  the  representatives  of  the  mission  cause  and 
the  general  public,  either  through  lectureships  which  bring  to 
the  Seminary  leading  representatives  of  the  mission  cause  from 
all  over  the  world,  or  through  foundations  having  for  their  object 
the  production  of  effective  missionary  literature.  In  the  second 
place,  by  bringing  all  the  Faculty  into  touch  with  modem  mis- 
sions and  enlisting  their  interest  in  the  work  of  interpreting 
the  missionary  cause. 

2 

Bearing  Upon  the  Proposed  Plan  of  a Department  of 

Missions 

It  is  against  this  bacground  that  we  must  judge  our  present 
plan  of  missionary  expansion.  It  deals  with  all  four  of  these 
phases  of  the  situation,  and  if  it  can  be  carried  into  effect  will 
mean  progress  all  along  the  line.  Through  its  increase  in  the 
staff  of  teachers  it  provides  additional  facilities  for  specialized 
training  of  missionary  candidates.  By  its  system  of  graduate 
scholarships  it  makes  it  possible  to  extend  the  advantages  of  the 
Seminary  to  those  students  who  most  need  the  advanced  train- 
ing it  can  provide.  By  its  appointment  of  a professor  who  is 
to  spend  at  least  part  of  his  time  on  the  field  it  makes  an 
original  contribution  at  once  to  the  cause  of  missions  and  to  the 


74 


scientific  study  of  comparative  religion ; while  by  bringing  to 
the  Seminary  a succession  of  leaders  of  the  missionary  cause, 
both  native  and  foreign,  it  contributes  to  the  cause  of  mis- 
sionary education  in  the  largest  sense. 

During  my  visit  to  the  East  I took  every  opportunity  to 
explain  the  plan  to  the  missionaries  I met,  and  everywhere  I 
found  a sympathetic  hearing.  The  lines  along  which  it  was 
conceived  met  with  general  approval  and  I found  nowhere  any 
serious  criticism. 

The  two  points  of  special  interest  to  the  missionaries  on  the 
field  were,  in  the  first  place,  the  provision  of  scholarships  for 
returning  missionaries ; and  secondly,  the  plan  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a professor  who  should  spend  a part  of  his  time  on  the 
field.  Both  of  these  commended  themselves  to  those  with  whom 
I talked,  but  the  former  called  forth  special  approval.  I met  a 
number  of  men  of  high  promise  and  much  experience  who  would 
be  only  too  glad  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  that  our 
plan  would  offer  who,  as  things  now  are,  are  not  able  to  come 
to  us  because  of  the  prohibitive  expense  of  life  in  New  York. 
I feel  sure  that  if  we  could  carry  out  our  plan  we  could  in  a 
very  few  years  make  our  Seminary  a centre  of  missionary  in- 
terest and  inspiration  second  to  none  in  the  country,  if  not 
indeed  in  the  world. 

The  plan  of  a resident  professor  also  met  with  favor,  although 
it  was  recognized  that  all  would  depend  upon  the  character  of 
the  appointee  and  the  siprit  in  which  he  approached  his  task. 
There  is  no  doubt  in  my  own  mind,  however,  that  if  we  could 
find  the  right  man  he  would  receive  a hearty  welcome  from 
the  missionary  body,  and  in  addition  to  his  direct  work  as  a 
scholar,  would  find  many  opportunities  indirectly  to  serve  the 
missionary  cause. 

As  to  the  question  of  the  location  of  the  resident  professor, 
should  one  be  appointed,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  under 
present  conditions  the  best  subject  to  be  chosen  was  Buddhism, 
and  the  best  place  to  locate  our  appointee,  Japan.  The  reasons 
for  this  conclusion  are  fourfold.  In  the  first  place,  of  all  the 
great  non-Christian  religions  except  Mohammedanism,  Bud- 
dhism is  the  one  which  now  shows  most  signs  of  life,  and  which 
is  the  most  effective  rival  of  Christianity.  In  the  second  place, 
it  is  a subject  in  which  there  is  more  need  of  independent 
scholarly  research  than  any  other,  especially  in  Japan  where 


76 


Buddhism  is  undergoing  rapid  development  and  where  many 
sources  of  accurate  information  are  being  made  accessible  to 
western  scholars  through  the  labors  of  Japanese  professors. 
Thirdly,  the  rapidity  with  which  conditions  are  developing  in 
Japan  gives  special  urgency  to  the  claims  of  Japan  for  such 
an  appointment.  Even  if  in  other  respects  the  need  were 
equally  great,  the  time  element  in  the  case  makes  it  desirable  to 
give  Japan  precedence.  Fourthly,  the  opportunities  for  indirect 
service  through  contact  with  the  intelligent  Japanese  who  are 
non- Christians,  as  well  as  the  thoughtful  members  of  the  mis- 
sionary body,  would  give  a man  coming  to  Japan  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Seminary  special  opportunities  of  Christian 
service  that  he  would  not  be  as  likely  to  find  elsewhere. 

At  three  points  it  seems  to  me  possible  to  supplement  our  plan 
with  advantage.  In  the  first  place,  in  addition  to  the  scholar- 
ships provided  for  returned  missionaries  I should  like  to  see  a 
number  of  scholarships  for  native  scholars,  which  could  be 
assigned  to  a group  of  carefully  selected  men  who  gave  promise 
of  creative  scholarship.  I have  in  mind  such  men  as  those  to 
whom  I have  already  referred  both  in  Japan  and  in  Latin 
America  who  if  they  had  the  requisite  leisure  and  contacts  could 
contribute  to  the  creation  of  a native  literature  for  their  re- 
spective countries,  but  are  at  present  prevented  from  doing  this 
by  lack  of  opportunity.  I believe  that  if  the  Seminary  could 
furnish  them  this  opportunity  it  would  be  making  a contribution 
to  the  cause  of  missions  of  primary  importance. 

A second  addition  which  I should  like  to  .see  made  is  the  pro- 
vision of  a fund  for  the  translation  and  publication  of  important 
sources  for  the  history  of  religion.  There  is  a mass  of  material 
which  is  being  brought  to  light  by  the  labors  of  Japanese  scholars 
which  would  be  of  great  value  to  Christian  missionaries  if  it 
could  be  made  accessible.  Occasionally  some  of  this  finds  its 
way  into  the  transactions  of  the  Asiatic  Society.  One  or  two 
of  the  more  important  documents  may  be  published  by  the 
Christian  Literature  Society,  but  there  is  still  abundant  material 
which  would  be  not  only  interesting  but  practically  useful,  not 
only  to  scholars,  but  to  the  missionary  body.  It  would  greatly 
increase  the  effectiveness  of  our  plan  for  the  professorship  if 
the  man  to  be  appointed  could  have  at  his  disposal  such 
a fund  to  be  expended  either  directly  by  him  or  through  resi- 
dent scholars  working  under  his  direction.  Here  too  the  Semi- 


76 


nary  would  not  only  be  helping  Christian  missions  but  con- 
tributing to  the  cause  of  universal  scholarship  and  carrying  on 
the  best  traditions  of  its  own  past. 

Finally,  I should  like  to  see  a lectureship  provided  which 
would  make  it  possible  for  other  members  of  our  own  Faculty 
or  others  whom  the  Faculty  might  nominate  to  share  the 
privilege  which  came  to  me  through  my  recent  trip.  There 
are  many  teachers  of  theology  who  could  not  give  a year  to 
the  cause  of  missions  who  could  spare  two  months  or  half  a 
year.  By  sending  them  to  the  mission  field  the  Seminary  would 
not  only  contribute  inspiration  to  those  on  the  ground,  but 
would  give  those  who  went  such  an  acquaintance  with  the  cause 
of  missions  as  would  exercise  a reflex  influence  upon  the  in- 
struction of  all  the  departments  of  the  Seminary,  and  indirectly 
contribute  to  that  general  education  of  the  public  to  the  import- 
ance of  which  I have  already  more  than  once  referred. 

I end  where  I began  with  an  expression  of  my  conviction  of 
the  greatness  of  the  opportunity  and  of  the  strategic  position 
occupied  by  the  Seminary  in  meeting  it.  As  I recall  the  ex- 
periences of  the  last  four  months ; as  I think  of  the  world  situa- 
tion with  its  unexampled  demand  for  far-sighted  and  unselfish 
leadership,  I am  filled  with  enthusiasm  at  the  prospect  which 
opens  before  us  if  we  have  the  vision  and  courage  to  enter  into 
our  privilege  and  go  forward  along  the  lines  to  which  the 
providence  of  God  seems  to  be  pointing  us. 


m L18RAHY  Of  THE 
DEC  22  1927 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA  1 


